Scaling up mpox outbreak response in Sierra Leone

Freetown ‒ Sierra Leone is deploying a unfold of measures to modify and finish an outbreak of mpox in which 20 circumstances gain to this point been reported since the illness used to be confirmed on 13 January 2025.

The National Public Health Agency, with support from partners, including World Health Group (WHO), is stepping up illness surveillance to all of a sudden detect circumstances, provide care and prevent extra unfold of infection. With technical and logistical support from WHO, emergency public properly being staff are enhancing crammed with life case search and investigation for a more effective outbreak response.

Sierra Leone has been reinforcing preparedness and skill to reply to public properly being emergencies in most up-to-date years. In November 2024, WHO supported the training of 65 properly being staff and laboratory personnel in diagnostic procedures and sample assortment. Additionally, 160 properly being staff had been trained on integrated attain covering surveillance, case management, infection prevention and modify, laboratory practices, and possibility conversation and community engagement. This proactive attain ensured frontline staff had been absorbing to modify the mpox outbreak from the onset.

To extra aid curb the unfold of the illness, a consignment of 61 300 vaccine doses is anticipated to be delivered in the coming weeks in Sierra Leone thanks to support from WHO and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Africa Companies and products for Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF. These organizations will quilt operational costs for the vaccination targeting at-possibility individuals, including properly being staff. Additionally, efforts, coordinated by partners, including UNICEF, are underway to increase public consciousness concerning the illness as properly as aid preventive measures and the importance of seeking medical institution treatment.

WHO has already delivered over US$ 38 000 worth of vital laboratory supplies and private protective tools, including gloves, gowns, aprons, face shields, biohazard kill 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 forty five tests.

Clinical care is also being reinforced. WHO has procured treatment kits for 20 inpatients and 180 outpatients and is providing technical skills to clinicians and other responders by assisting in the planning of response activities and developing case management guidelines and training programmes.

“No topic assorted challenges, WHO has efficiently mobilized assets at all levels to ship vital commodities, including vaccines,” says Dr George Ameh, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone. “We can continue to support the nation to bring this most up-to-date outbreak below modify.”

An upsurge of mpox (formerly is known as monkeypox) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its unfold to neighbouring international locations used to be declared a public properly being emergency of international mission on 14 August 2024. At whole of twenty-two international locations in the African sing gain reported circumstances since 2024, of which 12 in the intervening time gain crammed with life outbreaks.

WHO and accomplice organizations are working carefully with the affected international locations to contain these outbreaks. According to Professor Foday Sahr, the Director of Sierra Leone’s National Public Health Agency, the support by WHO “continues to salvage certain our ministry and agency succeed in safeguarding the properly being of our voters.”

Mpox is a viral illness prompted by an orthopoxvirus. It spreads mainly by finish contact with any individual who has mpox, causing a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, and fever. In extreme circumstances, the illness will even be lethal.