WHO South Sudan – Voices from the field: Issue #24, 22 October 2026

Please refer to the attached file. Door to door vaccination in Warrap as WHO and government work to close polio immunity gaps By: Dr Eric Rurangwa, Daniel Igga, Joshua Afatio, Dr Mutale Nakashalo For families living far from a health facility in Warrap State, getting children vaccinated can mean a long journey. Chief Ater Mayar Ayok, Chief of the High Court in Gogrial West County, welcomes the prospect of vaccination teams coming to their homes. “Our children will receive the vaccine from teams moving house to house, so mothers no longer have to travel long distances to the health facility, ” he says. “As chiefs, we will sensitize our communities on the importance of vaccination so that every child is protected. ” Bringing vaccination closer to families In Kuajok, more than 300 government officials, chiefs and community members gathered for the launch on 13 October. Acting Caretaker Governor Hon. Severino Philip Bazia administered polio vaccine drops to a newborn, while the state’s Caretaker Minister of Health, Hon. Dr Anthony W. Garang, vaccinated a child. “The last cases in Warrap were detected in Tonj South County in August 2026, ” said Dr Garang. “I call on every parent to make sure all their children are vaccinated. ” Reaching those children takes planning that accounts for how families live and move. Across Warrap, long distances to health facilities and movement between cattle camps make regular vaccination difficult. Reduced outreach following funding cuts, a national stockout of bivalent oral polio vaccine and missed opportunities to check children’s vaccination status during facility visits have added to the gaps. Reported coverage in Warrap stood at 78% for the third dose of oral polio vaccine / 5, 702 of 64, 805children recorded as zero-dose or under-immunized / 178 house-to-house teams were assigned to reach families, supported by 41 supervisors. Each team brought together a vaccinator, a recorder and a social mobilizer, linking vaccination with community engagement.

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