JUBA, South Sudan

Malaria has killed 41 people, 36 of whom were children, in South Sudan's Greater Pibor Administrative Area, a senior government official confirmed on Tuesday.

Oleyo Akuer, the Greater Pibor Administrative Area's information minister, told Anadolu that 41 people have died and 200 more admitted to a hospital in Likwangole County in the last two weeks as the mosquito-borne parasitic infection continues to spread.

"36 out of them are children," he said, adding that the majority of the deaths are reported in remote areas far from town.

"The majority of them died outside of the remote town of Likwangole. There are five of them in town, though," he said.

Around 200 malaria patients are being treated at a local health care unit in Likwangole, he said, adding that the facility is facing a critical shortage of medicines due to a prolonged supply problem.

Malaria remains the leading cause of illness and death in South Sudan, especially among children.

In 2022, the country reported an estimated 2.8 million cases and 6,680 deaths, and reports for 2023 are still pending.

In July Ministry of Health rolled out a malaria vaccination drive targeting about 265,000 children in 28 counties across six states.