This week, South Sudan has taken a long-awaited step forward in safeguarding the lives of its youngest citizens: the official launch of the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PaCV) and Rotavirus Vaccine (Rota) into the national Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). This life-saving intervention comes to us through the generous support of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, following a co-financing waiver extended to the Government of South Sudan.

The launch is a result of relentless advocacy efforts by public health actors and civil society groups, including South Sudanese Women in Medicine (SSWIM) who have championed the inclusion of these vaccines for several months. And yet, while the week marks a critical milestone, it is also a stark reminder that much work remains.

Despite the gravity of the event, widespread public awareness is still alarmingly low. The average parent remains unaware that their child could, starting this week, be protected against pneumonia, a leading killer of children under five, and rotavirus, a major cause of deadly diarrhoeal disease. These are preventable causes of child mortality, yet they can continue to thrive in settings where access to vaccines is inconsistent or unknown.

SSWIM has been among partners at the forefront of demand creation efforts. From nationwide radio talk shows and an AllAfrica-published opinion editorial to grassroots advocacy meetings and a healthcare professionals' symposium, among others,  our aim has been clear: inform, mobilize, and ensure the vaccines' timely rollout. But more effort is direly needed.

Our public health landscape is complex. Just last month, an overstretched healthcare system soaked up a measles follow-up campaign incorporating integrated messaging on PCV and Rota vaccines, even as the country battled and continues to grapple with a cholera outbreak. This comes barely a year after the introduction of the malaria vaccine, which, due to low public awareness, has struggled with uptake. These overlapping campaigns underscore a persistent challenge: community readiness and health system preparedness for new vaccines must be improved.

Another challenge lies in the equity of vaccine distribution. The new vaccines are free. However, private health facilities, often the first point of contact for urban and semi-urban populations, are yet to receive these new vaccines. If left unaddressed, this will create a dangerous gap in access. It is imperative that national and sub-national health authorities engage private facility owners immediately to ensure that their clinics can serve as distribution points under the national program. This is not just about convenience. It is about fairness and the right to health.

As PCV and Rota become routine parts of our EPI schedule, we must seriously consider sustainability. Vaccines must not only be introduced; they must also be consistently available, administered by trained personnel, and accompanied by robust public awareness. This requires more than donor goodwill. It requires unrelenting national commitment, including healthcare financing that secures the future of immunization beyond waiver periods.

We call on our policy elites, development partners, and local leaders to treat this week’s launch not as a finish line, but as the beginning of a renewed journey in protecting our children. Prioritizing immunization in budget allocations, strengthening last-mile delivery systems, and investing in continuous community education must be part of the national agenda.

For the public, the week brings hope, hope that the deaths of children from preventable illnesses will begin to decline. Let us show up at health facilities, ask questions, and have our children vaccinated. For policymakers, it brings responsibility. Let us ensure that no child is left behind, no facility is left out, and no community is uninformed.

South Sudan’s future is in the hands of its children. Let us give them the protection they deserve, starting now.

For more information on where to access the PCV and Rotavirus vaccines, tune in to your local radio or visit the nearest public health facility.