Unknown illness kills child in Eastern Equatoria

TORIT – Local authorities in Hiyala payam of Torit County in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State have raised concerns over an unknown illness affecting children in recent days.

One child has died, and several others are in critical condition, according to local officials. The illness, which primarily affects children under five, presents symptoms such as severe diarrhea and vomiting.

Speaking to Sudans Post yesterday, South Sudan People’s Defense Forces’ (SSPDF) director for peace and justice for Hiyala, Lt. Col. Simplicio Oliha, expressed concern about the situation and called for government intervention.

“We have an issue here. It’s not really good since Wednesday. Sicknesses are affecting children. You can see diarrhea, vomiting, and it’s killing children immediately, beginning from 3 years and 2 years. Now we have children in the hospital. There are no drugs here,” Oliha said.

Oleyo Godfrey, a clinician at the Hiyala Primary Health Care Center, confirmed the death of one child but denied reports of a cholera outbreak. He attributed the cases to acute diarrhea and malaria, common in the area.

Godfrey urged community members to remain calm and adhere to health guidelines. He also called on the Ministry of Health to address drug shortages at the health center.

Dr. Changa Thomas Oker, a medical doctor at Torit State Hospital, urged the community to be vigilant, given the ongoing cholera outbreaks in neighboring counties.

“In case of anything like that, we do get a detail from the area that we can do here,” Dr. Changa said. “But if we suspect any, we send the sample to Juba.”

Dr. Etin Concord, the Director-General at the state Ministry of Health, confirmed that there are no confirmed cases of cholera in Hiyala.

He acknowledged drug shortages at many health facilities but noted that drug supplies are typically delivered from Juba.