With the confirmation of 8 cases in Rubkona county, one of the country's Unity States, the South Sudanese Ministry of Health declared a cholera outbreak on Sunday.
The department stated that the action was taken in response to the results of the National Public Health Laboratory in Juba, which confirmed the outbreak.
"The public is urged to stay calm and take all precautions to prevent community transfer and spread in communities with insufficient access to safe water, poor hygiene, and limited exposure to improved sanitation facilities," the ministry said in a statement issued in Juba, South Sudan's capital.
According to the report, 31 cases, with one death, were reported from Rubkona town and the Bentiu IDP camp.
The cases reported had watery diarrhoea, dehydration, and vomiting, according to the ministry, and were admitted at MSF Bentiu protection of civilians (PoC) hospital, where all cases were released.
The ministry confirmed its the first case reported in South Sudan since the catastrophic cholera outbreak in 2017, which affected over 28,000 people and resulted in 644 deaths, on April 14.
Following confirmation of the initial case on April 14, the ministry announced the deployment of a rapid response team from April 22 to 29 to investigate the causes and support the state-level response. Furthermore, enough supplies have been deployed to aid in the investigation and treatment of cases in Rubkona county.