By Yien Gattuor

The government of Unity State on Thursday received 225,000 doses of Oral Cholera Vaccine (OVC) from Juba to curb the spread of the disease in the state.

Bany Makon, the acting Director General in the State Ministry of Health said all persons, beginning from one year and above, shall be vaccinated against the disease.

They are targeting four locations including Rubkonta, Bentiu town, Riariok Payam, and Bentiu IDP camp beginning next Tuesday.

“I am informing the beneficiaries of the cholera vaccination that will take place on the seventh of January but the awareness team will go by shelter to shelters and they will be followed by the vaccine team for vaccination of cholera.”

For his part, Mathew Ruai, a resident of Bentiu town said the arrival of the Cholera vaccine is very important news as it will helpin curbing the spread of the disease in the state.

“Even if the vaccination has been delayed from outside the country for now the population will be vaccinated in Unity State,” he said.

The week before Christmas, Unity State recorded alarming rates of cholera-related deaths, as, some 73 people, out of the 3700 registered cases in the state, succumbed to the disease in one week, an authority said.  

Meanwhile, 2,000 patients out of the 3,700 recovered and were discharged from the four health facilities in the state.

The state has so far recorded more than 7,000 Cholera cases since the outbreak.