Morobo Commissioner Calls for Urgent Ebola Surveillance at Porous Border Points

(MOROBO COUNTY) – The Commissioner of Morobo County in Central Equatoria State has called on national and international health partners to urgently scale up Ebola surveillance measures along the county’s porous border entry points with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Commissioner Joseph Mawa Okuba, who chairs the county’s Ebola Emergency Preparedness Taskforce, raised alarm following the confirmation of an Ebola case at A’di Hospital in the DRC, located approximately 20 kilometers from the South Sudan border. He described the development as a serious public health concern for Morobo County and the wider country.

The reported Ebola cases in Ituri Province of the DRC and Uganda’s Budibujo District have already prompted Uganda to close its borders with the DRC. This, according to the Commissioner, heightens the risk for South Sudan, particularly in Morobo County, where several unofficial and unregulated crossing points remain open.

Commissioner Mawa noted that while screening measures have been established at the Kaya border entry point between South Sudan and Uganda, there are currently no surveillance systems in place along the South Sudan–DRC border within Morobo County.

In response, he has formally appealed to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and its implementing partner, the Support for Peace, Education and Development Program (SPEDP), to urgently deploy emergency surveillance and screening interventions at key entry points.

He specifically directed that screening centres be established without delay at Bazi and Okaba entry points, warning that failure to act could expose both the county and the nation to the risk of Ebola transmission.

Morobo and neighbouring Yei River County share extensive and largely unregulated border areas with both Uganda and the DRC, making them particularly vulnerable to cross-border disease outbreaks. The Commissioner emphasised that immediate coordinated action is essential to safeguard public health and prevent a potential Ebola outbreak in South Sudan.