By Simon Deng
An outbreak of whooping cough in Cueibet County of South Sudan’s Lakes State has claimed the life of two children, John Rumunu, the Director General for Preventive Health Services said.
Whooping cough is a highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. Pertussis is known for uncontrollable, violent cough and causes difficulty in breathing.
Vaccination is the best protection against it.
The best way to protect against pertussis is by getting vaccinated
“On January 31, 2022, Cueibet county health department was notified through county surveillance officer about cluster of suspected cases of pertussis, there are 43 suspected cases which were identified and recorded,” Dr Rumunu told reporters in Juba on Sunday.
“In Tiaptiap payam at Agagrial health centre, there were two deaths that occurred from suspected cases of pertussis,” he said.
In South Sudan, the World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day was observed over the weekend under the theme: “100% committed to eliminate neglected tropical diseases in South Sudan.”
