On 14 April 2023, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of South Sudan declared an outbreak of the hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in Wau city, the capital of Western Bahr el-Ghazal state.     

23rd March – 13th April, 2023:  91 HEV suspected cases, 35 confirmed cases; 5 deaths reported; Case fatality ratio – 5.5%        

Median age – 20 years (range 2-71); Males – 74% of cases 

HEV cases have been consistently reported in South Sudan since 2018, with recurrent outbreaks in Bentiu IDP (internally displaced persons) camp which houses around 170000 individuals. 

The Reasons for the outbreaks are  –   Poor sanitation and hygiene practices, especially in the IDP camp; limited availability of safe drinking water; poor access to essential medical services; the presence of a large IDP population in South Sudan; financial constraints;  limited local capacity to carry out response activities effectively

Public health response (South Sudan MoH and WHO and partners) – Immediate activation of the Public Health Emergency Operations Center and all response pillars: coordination, surveillance, case management, WASH, IPC, RCCE, safe and dignified burial, points of entry, and logistics.