Sierra Leone declared a health emergency on Monday to mobilize the necessary resources against mpox. “The confirmation of two cases of mpox in the country has triggered immediate action. In accordance with the public health code, I am declaring on behalf of the government a public health emergency,” Health Minister Austin Demby told the press in Freetown.
Sierra Leone reported its first confirmed case of mpox at the end of last week since the highest level of global alert against this potentially fatal viral disease was triggered in 2024. A second case has since been confirmed in the person of a 21-year-old man who presented the first symptoms on January 6, like the first, the National Public Health Agency indicated on social networks on Monday.
Strengthening border surveillance
The public health emergency “allows us to mobilize the necessary resources to contain the disease, prevent its spread and provide quality care to those affected,” said the Minister of Health.
He announced increased border surveillance and testing capabilities, as well as the launch of a national awareness campaign. He assured that the Sierra Leonean system was ready to respond to potential developments, citing the expertise acquired during the Ebola and Covid-19 epidemics.
“We urge all our citizens to remain calm, stay informed and promptly report any suspicious cases to authorities,” Austin Demby said.
-Highest alert level declared in 2024 by WHO
Mpox is caused by a virus from the same family as that of the terrible smallpox. It mainly manifests itself by a high fever and the appearance of skin lesions, called blisters.
Identified for the first time in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1970, the disease remained confined to around ten African countries for a long time. In 2022 it began to spread to the rest of the world, particularly developed countries where the virus had never circulated. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared its highest alert level in 2024.
Sierra Leone was one of the countries most affected by Ebola which raged in West Africa ten years ago. The epidemic killed around 4,000 people there, including nearly 7% of health personnel, between 2014 and 2016.
Read more: Ebola: Sierra Leone completes its containment
