JUBA, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan has introduced the second dose of the measles-containing vaccine (MCV2) into the routine immunization schedule as part of a broader effort to strengthen children's immunity and prevent measles outbreaks, Minister of Health Sarah Cleto Rial said Thursday.
Juba is determined to join the rest of the world in eliminating measles, the minister said, noting that adding MCV2 significantly enhances measles immunity among children in South Sudan.
"To ensure high immunization coverage and sustained efforts toward the global goal of measles elimination by 2030, routine immunization services will be delivered through fixed-post, outreach, and mobile strategies," Rial said in a joint statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
The two-dose regimen is part of the 2017 recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) to all countries, and South Sudan is now the 45th country in the African region to introduce MCV2.
The Ministry of Health, backed by the Gavi vaccine alliance, the WHO and UNICEF, is jointly driving efforts to tackle longstanding immunization gaps in South Sudan, the statement said.
With this introduction, South Sudan's Expanded Program on Immunization will now vaccinate children against measles at nine and 18 months to boost their immunity levels.
"An estimated target population of 567,065 children will be eligible for the second dose of MCV in 80 counties across the country," the joint statement said.
Humphrey Karamagi, WHO representative for South Sudan, said the introduction of MCV2 into the country's routine immunization represents a milestone in strengthening child health and vaccine-preventable disease control.
"Sustaining progress will depend on continued community outreach, health worker training, and effective data recording," Karamagi said, adding that the WHO "will stand by South Sudan throughout this journey."
Measles remains one of the most contagious and deadly vaccine-preventable diseases, particularly affecting children under five, according to the WHO.
According to the WHO's 2025 Measles Risk Assessment, nearly 90 percent of counties in South Sudan are classified as high or very high risk for measles outbreaks, due to low routine immunization coverage, weak surveillance systems, and the previous absence of a second dose of the measles vaccine in the national routine immunization schedule, and other factors.
Noala Skinner, UNICEF representative in South Sudan, called for full protection against measles, especially among malnourished children and those displaced by conflict and floods, stressing that one dose of MCV does not provide full protection.
In April, South Sudan conducted a nationwide measles follow-up campaign targeting children aged six to 59 months, reaching 73 out of 80 counties and achieving 85 percent coverage of the national target population.
However, only 38 percent of counties reached the critical 95 percent coverage threshold required to interrupt measles transmission, the WHO said.
It stressed that these results highlight persistent immunity gaps and the urgent need for MCV2 to ensure full protection. ■
