South Sudan

Recommended Vaccinations For South Sudan

For Most Travellers

Hepatitis B Vaccine

There is a significant risk of infection with hepatitis B for this country, therefore, the vaccination is recommended.

Hepatitis A Vaccine

There is a significant risk of exposure to hepatitis A for this country, therefore, the vaccination is recommended.

For Some Travellers

Cholera Vaccine

The U.K. NaTHNaC recommends the oral cholera vaccine for some travellers whose activities or medical history put them at increased risk, travelling to areas of active cholera transmission. These risk factors include: aid workers; those going to areas of cholera outbreaks who have limited access to potable water and medical care; travellers for whom the vaccination would be considered potentially beneficial, such as chronic medical conditions. The U.S. CDC recommends the cholera vaccine for travellers who are 18-64 years of age and who plan to travel to areas of active cholera transmission. CDC notes that most travellers do not travel to areas of active cholera transmission, and that safe food and water practices can prevent many cholera infections.

Rabies Vaccine

Pre-travel vaccination against rabies is recommended for travellers involved in outdoor activities (e.g., campers, hikers, bikers, adventure travellers, and cavers) and who may have direct contact with rabid dogs, bats, and other mammals. Persons with occupational risks (such as veterinarians, wildlife professionals, researchers) and long-term travellers and expatriates are at higher risk and should be vaccinated.

Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) Vaccine

A dose of Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is recommended for all travellers over 6 months of age.

Meningitis Vaccine

Because this country is located in the sub-Saharan meningitis belt, vaccination against meningitis is recommended if travelling during the dry season (December to June).

Typhoid Fever Vaccine

There is a risk of exposure to typhoid fever in this country through consumption of unsafe food and water. Since exposure to unsafe sources is variable within this country, the vaccination against typhoid fever is generally recommended, especially when visiting smaller cities or rural areas, where food and water sources may be contaminated.

Yellow Fever Vaccine

This country requires all persons to have proof of the yellow fever vaccination if arriving from a country where yellow fever occurs.

Recommended Medications For South Sudan

For Some Travellers

Anti-malarial Drugs

Recommended anti-malaria medications include atovaquone-proguanil, mefloquine or doxycycline. Resistance to chloroquine is widespread.

Diseases To Be Aware of for South Sudan

For Most Travellers

Dengue Fever

Outbreaks of dengue fever may occur.

Hepatitis B

There is a significant risk for acquiring hepatitis B in South Sudan.

Hepatitis A

There is a significant risk for hepatitis A virus exposure in South Sudan through contaminated food or water.

Cholera

Cholera outbreaks occur in South Sudan. The risk to travellers is low unless living or working in poor sanitary conditions, drinking untreated water or eating poorly cooked or raw seafood in this country.

Chikungunya Fever

Chikungunya fever has occurred in this country.

For Some Travellers

Malaria

There is a high risk of malaria in South Sudan.

West Nile Fever

The virus is transmitted to animals, birds and humans by mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, body aches, nausea, and skin rash.

Hanta Virus

There is a risk of acquiring Hantavirus in this country through the consumption of food and water contaminated by an infected rodent or through rodent bites.

Rift Valley Fever (RVF)

Sporadic outbreaks of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) may occur in this country. Commonly spread via contact with domesticated animals infected with the virus. These include cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels, among others.

Monkeypox

There is a risk of mpox in the country. The disease can be caused by being scratched or bitten by an infected animal (a rodent or primate), or touching animal products, including skins and meat and being near an infected person who is coughing or sneezing.

Ebola Viral Disease

There is a risk of ebola in this country. Ebola is caused by coming into contact with the body fluids from an infected person (alive or dead), such as blood, urine, saliva, and sweat, among others. Medical equipment contaminated with the boly fluids of an infected person or a person who died of Ebola or Marburg also cause the disease.

Leishmaniasis

There is a risk of acquiring Leishmaniasis in this country through sand fly bites, particularly between dusk to dawn. Adventure tourists, outdoor athletes, or humanitarian aid workers are at a higher risk.

Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever

There is a risk of acquiring Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in this country through specific insect, bug or tick bites or by coming in close contact with a person or animal infected with this disease. Travellers involved in activities like hiking, camping, working with animals, and visiting farms and forested areas are at a higher risk. There are no vaccinations (or medications) to prevent Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever.

African Tick Bite Fever

This disease may occur in this country. Ticks that cause this disease are usually most active from November through April. Travellers engaging in outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, and game hunting in wooded, brushy, or grassy areas may be at a higher risk.

Schistosomiasis

There is a very low risk of schistosomiasis in this country. It can be acquired through contact with fresh water, such as swimming, bathing, or rafting. Well-chlorinated swimming pools and contact with saltwater in oceans or seas will not put travellers at risk.

Measles

There is a risk of Measles in this country, especially in infants aged 6 to 11 months.

Yellow Fever

There is a risk of yellow fever transmission in all areas of this country. This country requires all persons to have proof of the yellow fever vaccination if arriving from a country where yellow fever occurs.

Sleeping Sickness (Type 1)

There is an increased risk for travellers spending a lot of time outdoors or visiting game parks. Travellers to urban areas are not at risk.

Typhoid Fever

Unvaccinated people can become infected through contaminated food and water in South Sudan, especially when visiting smaller cities, villages, or rural areas where food and water sources may be contaminated.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis occurs in South Sudan. Travellers to South Sudan are at risk for tuberculosis if visiting sick friends or family, working in the health care field, or having close prolonged contact with the general population.

Meningitis

Meningitis outbreaks may occur in South Sudan. Travellers who visit during the dry season (December to June) or expect to have prolonged contact with the local population are especially at risk.

Rabies

Rabies occurs in the South Sudan. Travellers involved in outdoor activities (e.g., campers, hikers, bikers, adventure travellers, and cavers) may have direct contact with rabid dogs, bats, and other mammals. Those with occupational risks (such as veterinarians, wildlife professionals, researchers) and long-term travellers and expatriates are at higher risk.

Safety & Security in South Sudan

Personal Safety

South Sudan presents extreme personal safety risks. Violent crime including carjackings, shootings, ambushes, assaults, robberies, and kidnappings occurs throughout the country, including in the capital Juba. Armed conflict remains ongoing between government forces and opposition factions, with fighting erupting quickly and unpredictably. As of early 2025, clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and opposition militias intensified in Upper Nile State and Western Equatoria, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties. Security checkpoints operated by soldiers or armed men are common in and around Juba, particularly after dark. Armed men at these checkpoints have demanded money from drivers and abused people, especially women. Drive-by robberies by individuals or groups on motorbikes occur regularly. Intercommunal violence between ethnic groups happens without warning throughout the country, often linked to cattle raids and land disputes. More than 1,000 incidents of violence affecting over 3,600 civilians were documented in 2024, with 1,561 killed and 1,299 injured. Foreign nationals have been victims of rape, sexual assault, armed robberies, and violent crimes. The country has consistently been one of the most dangerous places for aid workers. Landmines and unexploded ordnance remain hazards in areas with previous heavy fighting, particularly outside Juba. Most areas with unexploded weapons have been marked and signposted, but small, unidentified hazardous areas exist in remote places. Travel after dark is not advisable. Photography in public is strictly controlled and requires authorization from the Ministry of Information. Taking photographs near government buildings, military installations, bridges, airports, and petrol stations can lead to serious consequences. Plainclothes public security officers operate throughout Juba and across the country.

Extreme Violence

South Sudan experiences pervasive and extreme violence affecting civilians. Between January and March 2025, documented incidents revealed the highest number of civilian victims recorded in a single quarter since 2020, with a 34 percent rise in violent incidents and a 110 percent increase in civilian deaths. UNMISS documented 312 incidents of conflict-related violence affecting 1,607 civilians, including 739 killed, 679 injured, 149 abducted, and 40 subjected to sexual violence during this period. Armed conflict is ongoing between various political and ethnic groups, with weapons readily available to the population. Cattle raids occur throughout the country and often lead to violence. Conflict-related sexual violence remains widespread. In 2024, 157 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence affected 183 survivors (113 women, 66 girls, and four men) aged between nine and 65. Armed groups commit rape and sexual violence, destroy property, loot villages, and recruit children into their ranks. Government security forces and opposition factions have been implicated in serious abuses including unlawful killings, abductions, and sexual violence. At least 84 grave violations in the context of armed conflict occurred against 68 children in 2024, including recruitment and use of child soldiers. Armed youth militias supported by government forces have attacked civilians in opposition-held territories, resulting in mass displacement, killings, and rape. Violence between Lou Nuer and Murle communities in Jonglei state linked to revenge killings and cattle raiding has led to hundreds of deaths. Armed groups and government forces continue to attack aid operations, loot humanitarian assets, and harass relief workers. The country remains the deadliest place for aid workers, with 24 killed in 2023 alone. Neither the government nor opposition groups have held perpetrators accountable for past or current atrocities.

Political Unrest

Political tensions and security conditions have deteriorated significantly since early 2025, putting the fragile peace process at risk. Clashes between government forces and opposition militias erupted in January in Western Equatoria state and intensified in February in Upper Nile state. On March 4, 2025, opposition-linked militia overran an army base in Nasir, a major town near the Ethiopian border. Following this, multiple opposition leaders and allies of Vice President Riek Machar were arrested, and Machar himself was effectively placed under house arrest, with his house surrounded by army forces. In January 2025, sporadic gunfire and looting occurred across major towns, including areas of Juba city. On January 16-17, violent protests erupted after videos surfaced showing bodies of South Sudanese citizens killed in Sudan, resulting in retaliatory attacks that killed 16 Sudanese nationals in South Sudan. Authorities enforced a nationwide curfew from January 17-27. Social media was blocked for 30 to 90 days in January 2025 following the unrest. Elections scheduled for December 2024 were postponed to December 2026 after the transitional period was extended from February 2025 to February 2027. The 2018 peace agreement remains fragile, with repeated delays in implementation prolonging political uncertainty and deepening mistrust among parties. The National Security Service was granted sweeping powers in July 2024 that allow the agency to arrest and detain people without warrants, which has been used to restrict freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. South Sudan has lost two-thirds of its state revenues after the main oil export pipeline burst near Khartoum in 2024 amid fighting in Sudan, plunging the government into a fiscal crisis. Over 9.3 million people, more than two-thirds of the population, need humanitarian assistance. The country faces high inflation, exorbitant cost of living, and a depreciating pound.

Areas To Avoid

Upper Nile State has experienced intense fighting since March 2025, including airstrikes and clashes between government forces and opposition militias. The government ordered evacuation of Nasir County in Upper Nile, and the military could consider anyone remaining in the area a combatant. Clashes intensified between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and the White Army militia, with a market attack in Nasir on February 14, 2025, killing at least 21 people and displacing thousands. Unity State remains extremely dangerous due to armed conflict and inter-communal violence. This area has seen attacks by armed youth militias and government forces against civilians, resulting in displacement, killings, and rape. Jonglei State experiences frequent inter-communal violence over land ownership and cattle rustling, leading to abductions and reprisal attacks. The situation is extremely volatile in Bor and Pibor due to inter-communal fighting. Hundreds of deaths have been reported and tens of thousands displaced due to clashes. Western Equatoria State has increased militia activity, particularly in Mundri. Joint assaults by opposition groups on government bases in September 2024 displaced nearly 30,000 people. Border regions are especially dangerous. Areas bordering Sudan (Upper Nile, Unity, Northern and Western Bahr el Ghazal states) have yet to be fully delineated and experience intense fighting and aerial bombings. Border areas with Ethiopia and Sudan are known for heavily armed inter-communal fighting and arbitrary detention. The border area between South Sudan and Kenya remains volatile due to clashes between heavily armed youths on both sides. Borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic are highly unstable, with cross-border attacks and kidnapping risks. The three main roads in South Sudan have become extremely dangerous, with frequent armed attacks.