South Sudan: Hepatitis E forces refugees out of Jamam

JAMAM [ACTED News] – In recent weeks, an Hepititis E outbreak has caused 13 deaths and over 300 cases of acute jaundice syndrome in Jamam refugee camp in Maban County, Upper Nile State. Hepatitis E is spread by eating and/or drinking contaminated food and/or water and attacks the liver. Young people are often most affected by this disease, and it is particularly dangerous for pregnant women who constitute an estimated 20-25% of the death rate.

Stagnant flood water in all of the Maban refugee camps, but particularly in Jamam, has been a persistent problem since the beginning of the rainy season in June. In response to the flooding, ACTED has been relocating refugees from the Jamam camp to the newly established, Gendrasa camp, in partnership with the United Nations Refugee Agency. ACTED has also been collaborating with other partners in Jamam to increase the promotion of hygiene and health messaging among refugees. It is hoped that in this way, both living and hygiene conditions will improve. To date, approximately 11,931 refugees have been relocated and over 16,000 remain in Jamam.