HIGHLIGHTS

• Measles and polio vaccination campaign reaches 9.1 million out of the 11 million children targeted across the country.

• About 2,600 people flee North Jebel Marra and take refuge in Kurmul and Thurragway villages in Central Jebel Marra.

• An estimated 6,000 IDPs arrive in Otash IDP camp as of 12 May 2019 from the Jebel Marra mountains.

• Premises of aid organizations in Buram town (South Darfur) looted.

• Despite a good harvest, food insecurity persists due to economic vulnerability - CFSA.

• High prices of cereals are a result of the depreciation of the local currency – FPMA.

FIGURES 2018

# people targeted for aid in Sudan (2019 HRP)

4.4 million

# people targeted for aid in Darfur (2019 HRP)

2.4 million

GAM caseload (UNICEF)

2.3 million

South Sudanese refugees (total) 847,604 UNHCR registered 408,514 IPP registered 439,090 (UNHCR, 30 April 2019)

Other refugees and asylum seekers UNHCR (31 Aug 2018) 158,959

FUNDING 201 9

168.6 million US$ received in 2019 FTS (19 May 2019)

14.7% funded FTS (19 May 2019)

Over nine million children vaccinated against measles and polio

A large-scale measles and polio vaccination campaign—combined with a vitamin A supplement—has so far reached 9.1 million out of the 11 million children targeted. The final phase of the campaign will be carried out in Khartoum and El Gezira states on 16 June. The campaign was undertaken by the Federal Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance—an an international organization that was created in 2000 to improve access to new and underused vaccines for children—and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). This joint polio/measles campaign is the first nationwide polio immunization campaign since 2014.

Although polio and measles immunization programmes are usually done separately, in this case they have been combined to achieve good health protection results. More than 38,800 community vaccinators, frontline health workers and social mobilizers were mobilized to implement this massive campaign.

Official statistics in Sudan indicate that measles is the third cause of mortality among infants and the first among vaccine-preventable diseases. As of March 2019, 834 measles cases were reported in the country compared to 4,980 cases reported in 2018, according to WHO.

While, Sudan reported no polio cases during the past 10 years, high population immunity is still essential in the event of possible importation of the wild poliovirus (WPV) or vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) after the appearance of VDPV in Nigeria in February 2019. The risk of importation among the population of South Kordofan and Blue Nile states remains high due to the decline in immunity resulting from insecurity and conflict conditions in these areas.

To respond to potential polio and measles risks in Sudan, local health authorities have recognized the importance of sustainable immunization campaigns as supplementary strategies to boost the immunity of target population and contain the impact of these diseases on the morbidity and mortality rates in the country. The technical support from WHO and UNICEF, alongside the financial contribution of Gavi, have assisted health authorities in Sudan to maintain regular immunization programmes all over the country and avoid potential public health emergencies and ensure regional and global health security.