Ethiopian authorities in the Gambella region have launched a mass cholera vaccination campaign as the death toll rises amid the influx of South Sudanese refugees fleeing conflict in the Upper Nile region.
Health officials emphasize that the campaign, which began
over the weekend, targets one million people and will cover all zones of the
region, prioritizing refugee shelters housing displaced individuals from South
Sudan.
As reported by the Addis Standard, Ethiopian Minister of
Health Dr. Mekdes Daba emphasized the government’s commitment to strengthening
the health system’s ability to respond swiftly to outbreaks and emergencies.
“A comprehensive national strategy is in place to prevent
and control both communicable and non-communicable diseases,” Daba stated.
Dr. Mesay Hailu, Director General of the Ethiopian Public
Health Institute, stressed the importance of strengthened prevention and
surveillance efforts to control cholera outbreaks, with intensified response
measures underway as the rainy season begins.
“With the onset of the rainy season, coordinated prevention,
surveillance, and response efforts are being intensified in collaboration with
regional governments, local partners, and stakeholders to mitigate the risk of
waterborne diseases,” Hailu echoed the minister.
The vaccination campaign comes as cholera cases in Gambella
continue to rise, with new infections and fatalities increasing in recent
weeks.
Many South Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict between the
government and the White Army are particularly vulnerable due to inadequate
access to clean water and sanitation in the overcrowded camps.
According to the United Nations (UN), the cholera outbreak
has significantly impacted the region. As of 08 March 2025, 1,320 cases and 29
deaths have been reported since early February, with a case fatality rate of
2.2%.
Initially identified in four districts of the Nuer Zone, the
outbreak has spread to refugee camps, with Wantawo and Akobo being the most
affected areas.
The worsening health crisis is further exacerbated by
escalating violence in South Sudan, which has forced thousands of displaced
individuals, many in need of urgent medical care across the border into
Ethiopia.
Mothers with children in critical condition from cholera are
being referred for treatment in Mattar, Gambella region.
On 31 March 2025, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans
Frontières (MSF) warned of a rapidly unfolding humanitarian disaster on both
sides of the South Sudan-Ethiopia border, driven by violence, displacement, and
the cholera outbreak.
The global medical charity said a new encampment has rapidly
emerged in Burbeiye, Ethiopia’s Wanthoa Woreda, where local administrators
report over 6,500 new arrivals, mostly women, children, and the elderly, who
have traveled for days to reach safety.
Previously, the UN reported that the cholera outbreak in
Gambella originated from neighboring South Sudan, where more than 36,180 cases
and 600 deaths have been recorded since October 2024.
According to UN to the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, an estimated 50,000 people were displaced in South Sudan's Upper Nile region, with 10,000 of them crossing into Ethiopia’s Gambella region since early March 2025, placing additional strain on the region’s already overstretched healthcare system.
