March 3, 2014 – Los Angeles, Calif. – International Medical Corps continues to be on the ground in South Sudan to provide humanitarian assistance amid ongoing violence in the country. Since early January, more than 11,000 individuals have been seen by International Medical Corps health staff in Awerial, Malakal, and Juba.
Following the outbreak of heavy fighting in mid-February in Malakal, capital of Upper Nile State near the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) compound, International Medical Corps addressed the immediate needs of the local population by treating more than 460 injuries resulting from the conflict. The organization is currently attending to the health needs of 30,000 internally displaced people (IDP) at UNMISS, with a focus on the potential for outbreak of communicable diseases in the overcrowded camps, where poor water and sanitation conditions pose a high risk. Acute respiratory infections, acute diarrhea, and malaria are being treated in thousands of IDPs.
In Juba, International Medical Corps is providing primary health care and reproductive health services at the UN House and Tongping camps in Juba, where 3,951 health consultations have been conducted since January 6. International Medical Corps is also working alongside WHO and UNICEF to vaccinate children under five, as well as supporting the Ministry of Health in mass vaccination campaigns at the UN House camp.
Across Awerial County, nearly 10,000 people have sought safety, having been forced from their homes by fierce fighting across the Nile in the town of Bor. Since January 6, International Medical Corps has conducted 2,789 health consolations in the county, with focus on smaller, isolated communities that have received little or no access to services. Mobile medical clinics, providing basic primary health care, maternal health, and nutrition screenings, have begun to reach IDPs living in in the villages of Yelakot and Wun Tua.
International Medical Corps will continue to closely monitor the situation in South Sudan, particularly in the states of Upper Nile and Jonglei, given the tension due to active hostilities. Pre-positioning for the rainy season has begun and the organization continues to manage the procurement, storage, and distribution of medical supplies and equipment to project sites.
International Medical has provided humanitarian assistance in southern Sudan for 20 years. Communities across South Sudan have been supported by the organization since independence in 2011.
About International Medical Corps
Since its inception 30 years ago, International Medical Corps’ mission has been consistent: relieve the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster, and disease, by delivering vital health care services and sustainable development projects that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning hardest-hit populations to self-reliance. For more information visit: www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org. Also see us onFacebookand follow us onTwitter.