The United States has called out South Sudanese leaders for their failure to address the ongoing polio transmission in the country. In a press release marking World Polio Day, the US highlighted the lack of action and mismanagement by leaders as contributing factors to continued disease outbreaks.
The press release emphasized the importance of using public revenue transparently to vaccinate children against polio and other preventable diseases. It urged the South Sudan Transitional Government to prioritize the needs of its citizens and take action to combat the spread of the debilitating polio virus.
For the past two decades, the US, through USAID, has been supporting the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in South Sudan with a focus on detecting and interrupting transmission through community surveillance and response efforts. Polio vaccines have been provided as part of broader disease control measures.
The fragile health system in South Sudan has been further strained by the ongoing humanitarian crisis, leading to subnational immunization gaps and frequent outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles.