South Sudan experiences recurrent malaria outbreaks due to its tropical climate. Factors such as flooding, widespread poverty, inadequate health infrastructure and displacement exacerbate the impact of these outbreaks, making them a serious health threat to the population.

Despite the persistent nature of this outbreak threat, even potentially life-saving contingency plans can sometimes fall short. As seen in places like Bentiu and Aweil, hospitals often become overcrowded with malaria patients at peak times, and the number of inpatients with severe malaria increases.

To mitigate the impact of malaria on communities, MSF teams started a mass drug administration (MDA) in Mayen Abun, Twic, and supported the Ministry of Health's (MoH) malaria vaccination campaign. In 2024, three rounds of MDA have been completed, targeted children aged 3 months to 15 years, reached a total of 18,700 children. These rounds were conducted within the MoH Malaria vaccination routine for children aged 3-23 months, with 1,090 children vaccinated between July and October 2024.

This combination of MDA and malaria vaccination has resulted in a significant reduction in the positivity rates and a decrease in the prevalence of severe cases, highlighting the importance of proactive interventions.

Looking at malaria cases over the past few years in the same area, a clear trend emerges: in 2022, our teams recorded 45,633 positive cases, which fell to 33,985 in 2023. In 2024 (up to October), the number of cases fell further to 17,954.