In a statement dated May 20, Acting Minister of Health Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth said the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Institute (NPHI) had intensified surveillance and emergency preparedness efforts to protect the country from a potential outbreak.
“The Ministry of Health, Republic of South Sudan, in collaboration with the National Public Health Institute, wish to inform the public and all stakeholders of the recent confirmation of Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” the statement said.
According to the ministry, the latest update from the World Health Organization African Region indicates that 516 suspected Ebola cases and approximately 131 suspected deaths have been reported in the DRC, alongside 33 confirmed cases and four confirmed deaths across seven health zones in Ituri and North Kivu provinces.
Health authorities said the largest concentration of suspected cases was recorded in Mongbwalu, with 302 suspected cases, including 74 deaths, followed by Rwampara, which reported 136 suspected infections and 38 deaths.
The ministry warned that high population movement, mining-related migration in Mongbwalu, insecurity in affected areas, and gaps in contact tracing pose a serious risk of regional spread, particularly because of the proximity of the affected areas to South Sudan and Uganda.
In Uganda, officials have reported 12 suspected Ebola cases, and one suspected death, as well as two confirmed imported cases, and one confirmed death in Kampala, according to the statement.
In response to the threat, South Sudan said it has activated the Public Health Emergency Operation Centre (PHEOC) under alert mode to strengthen coordination, surveillance, laboratory testing, risk communication, infection prevention, case management, and safe burial procedures.
The government has also launched risk assessments and mapping of major border entry points and trade routes linking South Sudan with the DRC and Uganda.
Other response measures include strengthening surveillance at border crossings, establishing cross-border coordination and information sharing with neighbouring countries, deploying health experts and protective equipment to high-risk areas, and conducting refresher training and simulation exercises for frontline health workers.
Authorities further updated the national Ebola preparedness and response plan to mobilise resources needed for emergency operations in the event of an outbreak.
Despite the heightened alert, the ministry reassured the public that no Ebola case has been confirmed in South Sudan.
“Once again, the Ministry of Health would like to assure all citizens that there is no confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease in South Sudan,” the statement said.
The ministry urged citizens to remain calm but vigilant and to immediately report symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, or unusual bleeding to the nearest health facility or through the toll-free hotline 6666.
Health officials also advised the public to maintain strict hand hygiene, avoid direct contact with suspected Ebola patients or infected animals, and refrain from handling bodies of people who die from Ebola-like symptoms outside designated health procedures.
