Juba, 21 September 2022 – World Well being Group (WHO) expresses its profound shock and unhappiness on the killing of its polio area surveillance officer in Bentiu metropolis in South Sudan and condemns the violent dying.

Daniel Deng Galuak was shot useless by an unidentified attacker at a well being facility in Bieh Internally Displaced Individuals camp within the northern Bentiu metropolis in Unity State on 19 September 2022. The motive behind the assault is but to be established.

“We’re deeply shocked by Galuak’s dying. Our hearts exit to his household at this most troublesome and sorrowful time,” mentioned Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

“This assault has robbed a household of a beloved member and WHO of a dedicated frontline well being employee.”

Galuak’s dying is a big loss not solely to his household, however to the efforts by WHO and companions in well being emergency response in South Sudan and the essential work of defending youngsters from the debilitating and probably life-long impacts of polio.

“Entry to well being care is a fundamental proper and people working tirelessly in lots of components of the South Sudan to supply life-saving humanitarian providers to essentially the most weak populations should not be focused,” mentioned Dr Fabian Ndenzako, WHO Consultant in South Sudan.

Galuak labored for WHO as a area assistant from 2000 to 2015 and as a area supervisor from 2016. His tasks included guaranteeing efficient polio surveillance, planning and conducting polio supplementary immunization and coordinating routine immunization actions.

WHO will proceed to work with companions to assist the federal government in reaching essentially the most weak populations with well being providers in South Sudan.