Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


           At South Sudan UN Camps, IDPs Line up for Cholera Vaccine

   by Andrew Green

   Simon Khan Lok was one of thousands of South Sudanesewho lined up for a
   second oral cholera dose at a U.N. camp for the displaced this week.
   Last week, heavy rains washed trash and human waste under the plastic
   sheets Lok used to build the makeshift home he has lived in since
   fighting broke out in Juba three months ago before quickly spreading
   around the country, leaving him more vulnerable to water-borne diseases
   like cholera and hepatitis E.
   With the rainy season due to begin in earnest in the coming weeks, aid
   agencies have warned that the likelihood of contracting cholera is
   going to rise, and they have launched a pre-emptive vaccination
   campaign at U.N. camps.
   People living in cramped conditions in U.N. facilities, or outdoors,
   are especially vulnerable, the aid agencies say, urging them to get
   vaccinated against cholera.
   The World Health Organization (WHO) is spearheading the effort to
   vaccinate 140,000 people across South Sudan against cholera over the
   next few weeks.
   According to WHO, the oral cholera vaccine is safe for anyone over the
   age of one year, except pregnant women, and two doses of the vaccine
   are generally 85 percent effective at preventing cholera.
   The vaccine is being administered at the U.N. camps in Juba by
   personnel from Medair, a faith-based international humanitarian agency.
   More than 21,000 people at two U.N. camps for the displaced in Juba,
   where the U.N. estimates some 32,000 have sought shelter since fighting
   broke out in December, have been received the first dose of the oral
   cholera vaccine.
   Hygiene and health promoters, including Gatrial Pham Ruey, have been
   walking around the camp where Lok lives, encouraging people to come to
   one of the six vaccination sites to get the second and final dose. Pham
   has also been any questions the camps' residents might have about the
   vaccine.
   "They ask me, `Is it important?' They talk about the medicine. It is
   tasteless. They say, `This tasteless medicine, is it good for us? To
   protect us?' I tell them, `Sure. This will protect you from cholera,'"
   Pham, said.
   The second round of the vaccination campaign will wrap up next week in
   Juba. Medair officials said they plan to hold a third round of
   vaccinations sometime this month, to catch people who might have missed
   earlier campaigns.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/south-sudan-un-camps-idp-cholera-vacc
   ine/1874843.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/south-sudan-un-camps-idp-cholera-vaccine/1874843.html