Challenges in Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response in Post Conflict: The Case of Southern Sudan

Challenges in Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response in Post conflict: The case of Southern Sudan

^1* Nguka G. and ¹ Okoth J. O

¹ Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (Kenya). School of Health Sciences.

Abstract

Southern Sudan covers an area of 610,175 km2, and is bordered by Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and CAR. The population is estimated at about 12,000,000 with a rapid increasing trend due to post conflict returnees. The country had been engaged in one of the longest civil wars in Africa with devastating outcome of massive displacement, depletion of assets, and limited access to social services and arrest of development in a country which was already one of the most underdeveloped in the world. According to the Joint Assessment Mission (JAM) it is estimated that 90% of the population are living on less than $1 a day income. The civil war was brought to an end on January 9, 2005, with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Sudanese Government and the Sudanese People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLM) and today Southern has so far been officially accepted as an independent nation since the 9^th July 2011

Communicable diseases continue to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the Southern Sudan despite the global knowledge currently available on how to recognize and control these diseases. In order to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the existing communicable diseases surveillance systems in the country, the review covered the main and supportive functions of communicable disease surveillance with a focus on the following main elements and areas: Structure, process and output as is influenced by Goss health systems, the effect of armed conflict, Existing NGOs Support.