AYV News, January 22, 2025
Official Monkeypox (Mpox) Situation update for January 20, 2025 revealed that 7 districts in Sierra Leone have recorded cases of Mpox, recording a total of twelveconfirmed Mpox cases now in the country.
The updates revealed that Bo district now have 2 cases, Bombali 2, Moyamba 1, Port Loko 1, Tonkolili 2, Western Rural 2 and Western Urban 2 cases respectively.
Residents have been urged to remain vigilant and adhere to recommended preventive measures and maintain good hygiene practices, avoiding close contact with infected individuals, and promptly reporting any symptoms to health authorities.
Executive Director of the National Public Health Agency(NPHA), Brig. Gen. Prof. Foday Sahr said: “The health and safety of every Sierra Leonean remains our highest priority. We encourage the public to stay calm, remain vigilant, and follow health guidelines. By working together, we can control this outbreak and protect our nation”.
The Ministry of Health has officially declared MPox a public health emergency in the country.
After the confirmation of several cases, the Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the National Public Health Agency (NPHA), reached the decision to declare MPox a public health emergency.
Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, said the decision was made in consultation with the President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, technical teams of MoH and NPHA as well as international partners including the World Health Organisation to ensure a swift and coordinated response to the emerging health concern.
He said the government’s desire to rapidly contain the disease and decisively safeguard public health is well highlighted in this declaration.
Dr. Austin Demby said: “It allows us to act immediately in order to mobilise the needed human and material resources to contain the disease, prevent further spread and provide quality care to those already affected.”
Endorsing the declaration, President Bio emphasised the need for national unity and urgency for improved collaboration across all sectors to overcome this ongoing health threat. He urged everyone to be vigilant and to adhere to careful public health safety guidelines.
Already, improved surveillance measures are well in place to help the ministry to detect, track, and effectively isolate all suspected cases.
Sierra Leone has come a long way in managing previous public health outbreaks including viral hemorrhagic fevers like the 2014 to 2016 Ebola Outbreak, Lassa Fever, and other acute respiratory disease like COVID-19 pandemic.
The response to all these health outbreaks has significantly improved the country’s technical capabilities in managing health outbreaks, so much so that it has earned an international reputation of sending its healthcare professionals to help other African nations deal with health emergencies.
Against this backdrop, the Minister of Health is confident that Sierra Leone is now better equipped to tackle any health threats.
“The expertise of our health security teams has been recognised internationally and this emphasizes our ability to confront challenges at home while also reaffirming our commitment to regional and global health security.”
To ensure the safety and security of the general public, the Ministry of Health has instituted the following measures to effectively respond to the current MPox situation.
Launching a nationwide public awareness campaign to provide more education about MPox, its symptoms, transmission methods and prevention; Strengthen border surveillance to help monitor and limit the possibilities of registering new cases; Expand testing capabilities to facilitate early detection and response; and Improve on infection prevention and control protocols across all healthcare facilities.
These interventions, the Minister said, reflect the government’s commitment to comprehensively and proactively protect the people of Sierra Leone.
