S. Sudan Health ministry & Partners confirmed Malaria caused the death of about 89 people in Fangak.

The Ministry of Health and its partners have established that malaria was the cause of 89 deaths in Fangak County, Jonglei State.

Before their deaths, the victims had symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and a high temperature.

The validation came from the national and state health ministries, as well as the World Health Organization.

While announcing the results, Jonglei State Minister of Health Atong Kuol Manyang praised the collaboration.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is examining the deaths of almost 100 persons in Fangak, Jonglei State, South Sudan, in late 2021, due to an unidentified illness.

WHO’s Sheila Baya told the media at the time that the organization had chosen to deploy a fast reaction team to conduct risk assessments and investigations.

After roughly three months of collecting samples in the region by local health authorities, the government recently issued a report confirming that the mysterious ailment was Malaria.

She said that the Fangak region was inaccessible by land owing to water and that the team was waiting for a helicopter to take them back to the capital, Juba, on Wednesday.

Fangak county has been without health care since the major hospital was destroyed during the 2013 war.

Due to a lack of finance, the sole foreign health provider on the ground withdrew in 2020.