By Kei Emmanuel Duku
A critical shortage of anti-malarial and other essential drugs is putting thousands of lives at risk across South Sudan as the country enters its peak malaria season.
The international medical organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has issued an urgent plea for action, revealing that nationwide stockouts have left health facilities without vital treatments for the past three months.
“The situation is dire,” said Dr. Sigrid Lamberg, MSF’s Head of Mission for South Sudan. “Malaria is a predictable, life-threatening seasonal emergency in South Sudan, yet each year, stockouts and supply chain failures leave the most vulnerable exposed. This is a tragedy that cannot be overlooked”.
According to the MSF Head of Mission for South Sudan, MSF-supported sites have been without antimalarials since May, which is severely undermining efforts to prevent and treat the disease just as cases are expected to surge with the seasonal peak.
In a press release dated, 17th September, the Head of the Mission added that drug shortage has hit public health facilities in multiple states, including Kajo-Keji, Morobo and Yei in Central Equatoria, Twic in Warrap, Aweil in Northern Bahr-el Ghazal, and the Abyei Special Administrative Area.
“We’ve already treated over 44,000 patients in these areas since the end of July, and those numbers are only going to climb with the ongoing rainy season,” Dr. Lamberg noted.
In parts of Central Equatoria, such as Yei and Morobo, violence and insecurity have compounded the problem, further restricting access to the limited care that is available.
Although, UNICEF has begun distributing a small amount of remaining stock to 23 counties in Upper Nile, Jonglei, and Unity State, this supply is expected to last for only one to two months. “While these stocks are welcome and urgently needed, they cannot replace a regular supply system, and severe gaps remain across the country,” Dr. Lamberg explained.
Data from World Health Organization (WHO), states that malaria is the leading cause of illness and death in South Sudan, accounting for at least 30% of all deaths.
The agency also projects that the number of malaria cases could reach a staggering 8.3 million in 2025, in a country with a population of only 12 million.
“We urge all actors involved in the planning, procurement, and delivery of malaria supplies and commodities to act now and restore the flow of essential medicines,” Dr. Lamberg stressed. “This is critical to reducing the risk of increased illness and death, particularly among vulnerable groups such as children under five and pregnant women”.
The current crisis echoes a similar situation in 2024, when public health services nearly collapsed during the malaria peak.
At Aweil State Hospital in September, 2024, up to 400 children a week were admitted with severe malaria in September of that year, more than double the number from the previous year.
In just one month, the hospital admitted an average of 43 children with severe malaria per day and conducted 14 blood transfusions daily.
Last year the facility was so overwhelmed that some critically ill patients had to be treated in the corridors.
“Urgent action is needed to prevent a repeat of last year’s deadly crisis,” Dr. Lamberg warned.