Freetown ‒ Sierra Leone is deploying a vary of measures to manipulate and finish an outbreak of mpox in which 20 cases private up to now been reported since the disease was confirmed on 13 January 2025.
The Nationwide Public Health Company, with support from companions, including World Health Organization (WHO), is stepping up disease surveillance to impulsively detect cases, present care and forestall additional spread of infection. With technical and logistical support from WHO, emergency public health workers are enhancing active case search and investigation for a extra effective outbreak response.
Sierra Leone has been reinforcing preparedness and capability to retort to public health emergencies in recent years. In November 2024, WHO supported the training of 65 health workers and laboratory personnel in diagnostic procedures and sample assortment. Additionally, 160 health workers had been trained on integrated device covering surveillance, case administration, infection prevention and sustain watch over, laboratory practices, and menace communication and community engagement. This proactive device ensured frontline workers had been willing to sustain an eye on the mpox outbreak from the onset.
To additional again curb the spread of the disease, a consignment of 61 300 vaccine doses is predicted to be delivered in the coming weeks in Sierra Leone as a consequence of support from WHO and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Africa Amenities for Disease Sustain an eye on and Prevention and UNICEF. These organizations will masks operational costs for the vaccination targeting at-menace folks, including health workers. Additionally, efforts, coordinated by companions, including UNICEF, are underway to increase public consciousness concerning the disease in addition to again preventive measures and the importance of seeking clinic treatment.
WHO has already delivered over US$ 38 000 worth of a will must private laboratory supplies and private protecting tools, including gloves, robes, aprons, face shields, biohazard ruin bags, and infrared thermometers. Supplies also included genomics sequencing reagents, PCR kits for 400 tests, GeneXpert cartridges for 50 tests, and genomic sequencing kits for 45 tests.
Clinical care could be being reinforced. WHO has procured remedy kits for 20 inpatients and 180 outpatients and is providing technical trip to clinicians and other responders by assisting in the planning of response actions and developing case administration guidelines and training programmes.
“No matter a range of challenges, WHO has successfully mobilized assets at all phases to lift a will must private commodities, including vaccines,” says Dr George Ameh, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone. “We are able to continue to support the country to bring this most up-to-date outbreak below sustain watch over.”
An upsurge of mpox (previously identified as monkeypox) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its spread to neighbouring international locations was declared a public health emergency of international effort on 14 August 2024. At entire of twenty-two international locations in the African area private reported cases since 2024, of which 12 currently private active outbreaks.
WHO and associate organizations are working intently with the affected international locations to contain these outbreaks. According to Professor Foday Sahr, the Director of Sierra Leone’s Nationwide Public Health Company, the support by WHO “continues to make certain our ministry and company succeed in safeguarding the health of our citizens.”
Mpox is a viral disease prompted by an orthopoxvirus. It spreads mainly by shut contact with any individual who has mpox, causing a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, and fever. In severe cases, the disease could simply furthermore be deadly.
