South Sudan launches landmark integrated health campaign, protecting 2.1 million children from Polio and 1.2 million people from Schistosomiasis simultaneously

Juba- The Ministry of Health (MoH), in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), today launched an ambitious integrated health campaign to protect over 2.1 million children and 1.2 million adults from two debilitating diseases, polio and Schistosomiasis.

The campaign, running from 23 to 26 September 2025, will see health workers and volunteers moving door-to-door across 40 counties administer the novel Oral Polio Vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to children under five years old and provide preventive measures with Praziquantel tablets to school-aged children and at-risk communities of Schistosomiasis in three counties, including Awerial, Renk, and Bor South, as well as 11 Payams.

This innovative integrated approach represents a significant step forward in public health efficiency, enabling the Ministry to address two major health priorities with a single, coordinated effort, thereby maximising resources and outreach.

The leadership of the Ministry of Health has expressed that this intervention reflects the country's unwavering commitment and determination to halt the transmission of polio and safeguard children.

"This dual strategy aims to overcome the challenges of reaching populations in difficult-to-access areas and improving vaccination coverage to stop cVDPV2 outbreaks, which have increased due to low immunisation rates. We are urging parents and our communities to fully join the fight by having their children vaccinated to strengthen their immunity and mobilise support to ensure the successful implementation of the campaign," said Hon. Sarah Cleto Rial, Minister of Health.

"Thanks to our collective efforts under the leadership of the Ministry of Health, our resolve to fight polio has been consistent and is unrelenting. We have built preparedness, preventive and detection capabilities, strengthened surveillance across the country, trained healthcare workers and provided necessary tools. As a result, we can promptly identify cases, investigate and respond," said Dr Humphrey Karamagi, WHO Representative in South Sudan.

This round of sub-national polio vaccination campaign is crucial because it will enable stakeholders to reach children missed during the previous campaigns and routine immunisation and boost their immunity profile to protect them against polio.

"Every child has the right to health and to thrive. This campaign tackles two significant barriers to that right. UNICEF is proud to support a government-led integrated health campaign. We are proactively protecting our children. Parents and caregivers should get their children immunised, not just against polio but against all preventable childhood illnesses. Because we know that susceptibility to polio also comes from diminished immunity, caused by zero dose, low immunisation rates," said Mr Obia Ochieng, Acting UNICEF Representative in South Sudan.

All these interventions have been made possible with the generous support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). GPEI's support to South Sudan represents a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to health system strengthening that extends far beyond vaccine donation.

About Schistosomiasis: Schistosomiasis is an acute and chronic disease caused by parasitic worms. Infection occurs when larval forms of the parasite, released by freshwater snails, penetrate human skin during contact with contaminated water. It is prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, particularly in impoverished communities lacking access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

About nOPV2: The novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) is a new tool designed to address the evolving challenges of the polio endgame. It is specifically intended for use in responding to circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) outbreaks and is more genetically stable than the traditional monovalent OPV2.

For more information, please contact

Ministry of Health, Health Education and Promotion:

- Mary Denis Obat, mobat43[at] gmail.com(mobat43[at]gmail[dot]com)/ +211924887006

WHO South Sudan, Communication Team:

- Alice Rutaremara, rutaremaraa[at] who.int(rutaremaraa[at]who[dot]int)/ +211921887748

- Atem John Ajang, atema[at] who.int(atema[at]who[dot]int)/ +211921736375

Richard Ruati, Communication Specialist, UNICEF South Sudan, rruati[at] unicef.org(rruati[at]unicef[dot]org), Tel: +211 921 359 578