Yambio Records Sharp Uptick in Hepatitis
Laboratories in Yambio confirmed 231 hepatitis infections from 1,300 people screened in April. Dr Peter David Siro described the figures as “a wake-up call that the virus is moving faster than our response.” Women accounted for nearly half the cases, while twenty children also tested positive.
Testing Shortfalls Expose Silent Spread
Clinicians report dwindling rapid-test cartridges as community demand surges. Villagers trekking from remote payams often find supplies exhausted by midday, forcing some to return untested. “We cannot map the outbreak without reliable diagnostics,” a senior lab officer lamented.
Vaccines and Treatment Centres in Short Supply
Only one functional vaccination post serves greater Yambio, and antiviral therapy is available exclusively at the state hospital. Dr Siro warned that untreated carriers risk cirrhosis and cancer, adding that “each delay today multiplies tomorrow’s cost in lives and resources.”
Human Stories Behind the Statistics
The deaths of journalist Charles Wote and coach Isaac Miskin this year shocked residents, underscoring hepatitis’s reach into productive age groups. “Losing vibrant leaders erodes community morale,” said youth advocate Lona Francis, who now coordinates awareness drives on local radio.
A Broader National Challenge
Western Equatoria is not alone. Past outbreaks hit Wau, Abyei and Juba, where a 2025 study found 11 percent of women of reproductive age living with hepatitis B. Health economists argue that early vaccination costs far less than end-stage liver care.
Calls for Coordinated Regional Support
State officials are seeking extra test kits from Juba and exploring cross-border assistance with neighbouring DRC. The WHO country office says an emergency package is under review. Local chiefs have pledged to mobilise community health volunteers once supplies arrive.