Sierra Leone is dealing with a big rise in mpox infections, with the Ministry of Well being confirming 1,140 circumstances and 9 deaths for the reason that begin of the 12 months, based on figures launched late Thursday. The brand new knowledge displays a pointy improve from only a week in the past, when authorities reported 763 circumstances and 6 fatalities.
The capital, Freetown, stays the worst-hit space, prompting an pressing public well being response. In January, the federal government declared a public well being emergency and has since launched a focused vaccination marketing campaign to comprise the unfold of the virus.
“We’re ramping up the vaccination drive in Freetown, border cities and rural areas primarily for frontline well being staff and high-risk hotspots to make sure the safety of our individuals from the virus,” stated Desmond Maada Kangbai, head of the well being ministry’s vaccination programme.
Sierra Leone started vaccinations in early April after receiving 61,300 doses from the World Well being Group (WHO). Up to now, 2,500 individuals—primarily kids aged 12 and up, uncovered healthcare staff, and people at excessive danger—have been immunized.
To bolster the response, 4 therapy centres have been opened in Freetown since February.
Mpox, beforehand often known as monkeypox, is attributable to a virus associated to smallpox. It sometimes causes fever, swollen lymph nodes, and pores and skin lesions. As soon as largely confined to components of Africa, the illness started spreading to different areas in 2022, prompting the WHO to declare its highest alert stage in 2024.
Sierra Leone’s response is formed by its expertise throughout the 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic, which killed round 4,000 individuals within the nation, together with practically seven p.c of its well being workforce. That legacy has made officers particularly vigilant within the face of one other probably lethal viral outbreak.
