Malaria and acute diarrhea surge in flood-hit Koch County

BENTIU – Koch County of South Sudan’s Unity State is facing a significant increase in malaria and acute diarrhea cases due to devastating floods that have submerged several villages, a local government official has said.

County Health Director, Jackson Gatluak Liah, told Sudans Post yesterday that the ongoing flooding has created favorable conditions for mosquitoes, leading to a surge in malaria cases.

He also said that the lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities has contributed to a rise in acute diarrhea.

“We have been encountering malaria and acute watery diarrhea including skin diseases due to ongoing flooding in Koch county,” Liah stated.

“Malaria is on top cases we have captured as our areas were submerged by devastated floods and most of the villages are lacking health facilities and difficult to access because of floods,” he added.

The floods have also affected health facilities, making it difficult to transfer severe cases to the Koch county secondary health care center.

“Our main challenges as Koch county health department we have no roads accessibility in this floods situation,” Liah noted.

The most affected areas include Gany Payam, Ngony Payam, Mirmir Payam, and most parts of Jaak Payam. The floods have displaced thousands of people and disrupted their access to basic services, including healthcare.

Liah said that the health department is working to provide medical assistance to the affected population, but the challenges posed by the floods are significant.

International aid organizations are also providing support to the affected areas.