Freetown, Sierra Leone – In a strategic initiative aimed at bettering mpox outbreak response and genomic surveillance skill, the Central Public Smartly being Reference Laboratory (CPHRL) in Freetown hosted the mpox Genomics and Bioinformatics training workshop from 23rd – 27th June 2025. The tournament used to be organized below the theme: “Strengthening Genomic Surveillance Skill for mpox Response in Sierra Leone,” with technical and financial crimson meat up from the World Smartly being Organization (WHO AFRO and WHO Sierra Leone). The training program targeted 15 contributors, including laboratory scientists, public health consultants, and epidemiologists from during Sierra Leone.
Despite reporting over 4,400 confirmed conditions of mpox as of 27 June 2025, Sierra Leone has performed genomic characterization on finest approximately 2.5% of these conditions (108 sequences), representing a most essential limitation in understanding viral evolution and informing targeted public health interventions. For the time being, these genomic files are deposited in world repositories akin to Pathoplexus, GISAID, and NCBI Virus; alternatively, the disparity between outbreak detection and genomic files skills hampers true-time surveillance efforts.
The Ministry of Smartly being and Sanitation (MoHS) and the Sierra Leone Nationwide Public Smartly being Company (SLNPHA) of Sierra Leone own prioritized strengthening genomic surveillance to enable swiftly outbreak detection, be conscious viral transmission, and express protection choices. Allan Campbell, Laboratory Lead at CPHRL, emphasized the importance of this training, pointing out, “This marks a pivotal second in Sierra Leone’s nationwide response to mpox.
The initiative addresses the gigantic bioinformatics skill gap and establishes a foundation for sustainable genomic surveillance that could instantly express public health actions.” The workshop aligns with the goals outlined within the WHO African Residing (AFRO) Joint Continental mpox Response Conception 2.0, specializing in intensification, integration, and establishing a sustainable legacy in genomic epidemiology.
The week-long workshop employed a multidisciplinary, hands-on plan combining didactic instruction, very finest workouts, and group files diagnosis. The curriculum included:
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Day 1: Introduction to genomic surveillance principles, sequencing technologies, and foundational bioinformatics tools akin to Linux and Conda environments.
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Day 2: Emphasis on sequencing files quality contend with watch over (FastQC, MultiQC), read trimming (Fastp, Adverse), and genome assembly tactics utilizing reference-based mostly completely mostly (BWA, Cutadapt) and de novo (SPAdes) approaches.
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Day 3: Variant detection and diagnosis (SAMtools, FreeBayes, Snippy), consensus sequence skills (Bcftools), and genome annotation (SnpEff, VEP).
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Day 4: Phylogenetic diagnosis, clade classification (Nextclade, Nextstrain), and visualization using platforms akin to GISAID, Pathoplexus, NCBI Virus, Microreact, iTOL, and Galaxy.
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Day 5: Integration of all system through a case analysis simulating mpox outbreak response, culminating in files interpretation and strategic planning.
Walter Oguta, WHO AFRO EPI Analytics Specialist and the Lead Bioinformatics Coach, underscored the very finest price of the training, pointing out, “Translating genomic files into actionable public health techniques is the last honest. Our honest used to be to equip contributors with each and every technical proficiency and self assurance to fetch the all these tools effectively.”
Doris Harding, Laboratory Pillar Lead at the SLNPHA, highlighted the broader implications: “Strengthening our skill for genomic surveillance isn’t any longer not mandatory—it is mandatory. This initiative empowers our scientists to acknowledge more effectively to mpox and other emerging pathogens.” In an identical plan, Jonathan Greene, WHO Sierra Leone Laboratory Lead, articulated the importance of team constructing, striking forward, “Constructing a talented, within the neighborhood succesful team is central to WHO’s technique for resilient health methods. The utilization of genomics is transforming outbreak intelligence, enabling a shift from reactive to proactive responses.”
Dr. Ameh George, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone, emphasized the strategic significance of institutionalizing genomic surveillance: “Genomics is redefining outbreak science. Sierra Leone must lead in generating and utilizing genomic files to boom protection and give a elevate to global health security. WHO remains committed to supporting this transformation.”
Contributors and stakeholders concurred that this training initiative constitutes a protracted-term funding in Sierra Leone’s epidemic preparedness, response and resilience. By decentralizing sequencing capabilities and integrating genomic files into nationwide resolution-making processes, this system aspires to crimson meat up regional efforts for early detection and swiftly response to outbreaks.
The workshop concluded with the issuance of certificates completion and a networking session aimed at fostering collaboration and innovation in public health genomics. As Sierra Leone advances its surveillance infrastructure, the overarching honest remains to elevate genomic files from an underutilized resource to a central element of outbreak response and epidemic intelligence, thereby strengthening nationwide and regional health security.
