This is the first time anywhere in the world that the only available hepatitis E vaccine (Hecolin) is being used in a mass vaccination campaign and in response to an active outbreak of hepatitis E.
JUBA — South Sudan, in partnership with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has launched a vaccination campaign against Hepatitis E in the country, where an outbreak of the deadly disease is threatening pregnant women in particular.
At least 17 lives have been lost and 759 infections recorded following an outbreak of Hepatitis E in Bentiu.
Dr. Monica Rull, Medical Director, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said the vaccination campaign is crucial in raising hopes in the fight against the disease.
“The fight against hepatitis E has been long and frustrating,” Dr. Rull said in a statement issued on Monday.
Rull said Hepatitis E is a waterborne disease that can be fatal.
“Over the last two decades, MSF has been responding to hepatitis E outbreaks in displacement camps, trying to control the disease in challenging conditions and seeing the devastating impact on extremely vulnerable communities,” she said.
“With the experience of this vaccination campaign, we hope to change the way we tackle hepatitis E in the future,” said Dr. Rull.
In March and April 2022, MSF and South Sudan’s Ministry of Health jointly carried out the first two rounds of the hepatitis E vaccination campaign in Bentiu internally displaced persons camp in Unity state.
Around 25,000 people, including pregnant women, have received the vaccine. A third and final round will be conducted in October 2022.
Dr. John Rumunu, Director General for Preventive Health Services, South Sudan Ministry of Health, expressed hope the vaccine will help reduce infections and deaths from hepatitis E in Bentiu and beyond.
“Given the successful implementation and the community’s enthusiastic response in the first two rounds, this innovative vaccination campaign can serve as an example and be replicated in similar settings managing hepatitis E outbreaks,” said Dr. Rumunu.
Bentiu is the largest displaced persons camp in South Sudan, created in 2014 at the height of the war. Today, approximately 112,000 people reside there, many having fled recent violence and flooding.
MSF has been present in Bentiu since its inception and has seen hepatitis E outbreaks since 2015.
The outbreaks are the consequence of appalling living conditions, including a lack of access to adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene.
“This is a significant milestone in global efforts to tackle hepatitis E,” said Melanie Marti, Medical Officer, Immunization, Vaccines, and Biologicals, at WHO.
Marti said it is the first time a vaccine has been used to combat the effects of this potentially devastating disease.
“This is despite the fact that the vaccine has been licensed for over a decade, and it has been WHO policy to use it in outbreak settings since 2015,” said Marti.
Martin strongly encourages all countries experiencing an outbreak to use the vaccine against hepatitis E, including in pregnant women.
