South Sudan is strengthening surveillance and preparedness measures along its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as authorities seek to prevent Ebola from entering the country through busy and often informal crossing routes.<\/p>\n
The move follows a high-level visit by a United Nations delegation to Western Equatoria State, where officials assessed Ebola preparedness and discussed cooperation with state authorities on public health, humanitarian assistance and peacebuilding.<\/p>\n
At the Nabiapai border crossing, health workers face a major challenge from heavy daily movement between the two countries.<\/p>\n
Frontline health worker Severio Peter said health teams screen between 800 and 1,000 people at the border, with traffic increasing significantly during weekly market days.<\/p>\n
He said between Monday and Thursday, an average of 200 to 500 people are screened each day.<\/p>\n
However, officials say the presence of informal crossing routes makes it difficult to ensure that everyone entering South Sudan passes through official health screening points.<\/p>\n
Peter identified the area’s “porous entries” as one of the biggest challenges facing health authorities, warning that travellers can bypass official screening locations.<\/p>\n
The concern comes as authorities intensify preparations against possible cross-border transmission of Ebola.<\/p>\n
No Ebola cases have been confirmed in South Sudan, but officials say the country’s proximity to the DRC and high levels of cross-border movement require continued vigilance.<\/p>\n
Western Equatoria Governor Badagbu Rimbasa said Ebola preparedness was among the key issues discussed during the UN delegation’s visit.<\/p>\n
“Ebola is not yet in South Sudan, but we must do everything in our preparedness to prevent Ebola from entering South Sudan,” he said.<\/p>\n
State Health Minister Nama Bukulu<\/strong> called for stronger surveillance at border checkpoints, including additional screening capacity during nighttime hours.<\/p>\n She said travellers arriving outside normal operating hours should also be screened to reduce the possibility of people entering the country without health checks.<\/p>\n The call reflects concerns that official daytime screening alone may not be sufficient in an area where people frequently use informal routes to cross the border.<\/p>\n UN Deputy Special Representative Ramanathan Balakrishnan<\/strong> said discussions with South Sudanese authorities focused on strengthening cooperation between the government, the United Nations and humanitarian partners.<\/p>\n The discussions also covered the security of humanitarian operations and access to communities requiring assistance.<\/p>\n Balakrishnan said Ebola preparedness was an important component of the talks and that state authorities would have an important role to play in preventing and responding to any potential outbreak.<\/p>\n He acknowledged that South Sudan has made progress in its preparedness efforts but said additional work remains necessary.<\/p>\n The UN official expressed confidence that continued coordination between national and state authorities, UN agencies and other partners would strengthen South Sudan’s capacity to respond rapidly should Ebola be detected.<\/p>\n The situation at Nabiapai highlights the broader challenge facing South Sudan as it attempts to protect its population from infectious diseases while maintaining movement and trade across its borders.<\/p>\n With hundreds of people crossing the area each day and traffic increasing during market periods, health officials say sustained surveillance, adequate staffing and cooperation with local communities will be essential.<\/p>\n Authorities are therefore seeking to strengthen screening at official checkpoints while addressing the unofficial routes that could allow travellers to enter the country without being monitored.<\/p>\n For South Sudan, preventing Ebola from crossing the border will depend heavily on early detection, coordination and maintaining effective surveillance before any suspected case becomes an outbreak.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" South Sudan is strengthening surveillance and preparedness measures along its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as authorities seek to prevent Ebola from entering the country through busy and often informal crossing routes. The move follows a high-level visit by a United Nations delegation to Western Equatoria State, where officials assessed Ebola preparedness<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_3558452337540614_100649324928663":"","twitter_1160854738579181570_1160854738579181570":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,20],"tags":[3532,2644,3533,3158,3529,3534,3535,3531,948,1501,407,3530],"class_list":["post-15657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-general-news","category-health","tag-cross-border-movement","tag-democratic-republic-of-congo","tag-disease-prevention","tag-ebola","tag-ebola-surveillance","tag-health-security","tag-humanitarian-assistance","tag-nabiapai-border","tag-public-health","tag-south-sudan","tag-united-nations","tag-western-equatoria"],"yoast_head":"\nUN Supports Stronger Coordination<\/h3>\n
Border Vigilance Remains Critical<\/h3>\n