Flooding in South Sudan has hampered efforts to control a hepatitis E outbreak that has killed at least 21 people.
What's happening?
A Guardian report from the end of January this year detailed how repeated flooding in Sudan's Jonglei State inundated much of the countryside, isolating many communities.
The region was concurrently battling a deadly hepatitis E outbreak, which was exacerbated by the floods. Healthcare workers faced eight-hour boat trips to deliver vaccines to some of the affected villages.
"We know for certain that 21 people have died from hepatitis E during this current outbreak, but that is only because they were able to reach the hospital. It is very likely that many more people have passed away at home, without being able to even try and access treatment," Mamman Mustapha, head of mission in South Sudan for the charity group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), told The Guardian.
Why is the flooding and hepatitis E outbreak concerning?
Hepatitis E can spread through contaminated water. The disease, which attacks the liver, is potentially fatal to pregnant women and affects more than 20 million people a year.
The flooding also caused other problems for residents, including increased rates of malaria and damage to crops and livestock, the latter of which contributed to high rates of childhood malnutrition.
While flooding is a normal weather phenomenon, the United Nations Environment Programme has said it is becoming more frequent and intense because of extreme weather patterns caused by long-term global heating.
Examples abound. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), hundreds of people lost their lives due to historic flooding in January 2024, and hundreds of thousands more were displaced from their homes. Meanwhile, Cuba battled flooded streets, high winds, and power outages in February caused by abnormally cold winds and massive waves.
Experts have also predicted that a warming world could facilitate the spread of hepatitis E, along with other infectious diseases.
What's being done about the hepatitis E outbreak?
MSF is doing its best to get hepatitis E vaccines to affected areas and aims to reach 12,000 women and girls aged 16 to 45 by June.
Although the vaccine was first recommended by the World Health Organization in 2015, the only time it has been used was in 2022 at South Sudan's Bentiu displacement camp.
What can you do about climate-driven disasters?
We can all do our part to combat rising global temperatures. Some simple actions you can take are voting for pro-climate candidates, riding your bike more, or even signing up for community solar schemes.
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