Sierra Leone declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak of smallpox Health news
The West African country has confirmed two cases of measles in recent days.
Sierra Leone has declared a public health emergency after two cases mpox are registered.
The West African country’s health minister announced the move on Monday after a second case of the deadly viral disease was confirmed.
“The confirmation of two cases of measles in the country has prompted urgent action under the Public Health Act,” Health Minister Austin Demby told reporters in the capital, Freetown. “On behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone, I declare a public health emergency.”
Last week, Sierra Leone reported its first confirmed case of measles since the African Union’s health watchdog declared a public health emergency due to the continent’s growing measles outbreak. last year.
The second case was confirmed after a 21-year-old man showed symptoms on January 6, the National Public Health Agency announced on social media.
None of the cases had recent contact with infected animals or other sick individuals, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation said.
Only the first case involved recent travel, confined to the airport town of Lungi in the northern district of Port Loko between December 26 and January 6. Both patients are being treated at a hospital in Freetown.
The public health emergency “allows us to act immediately to mobilize the resources needed to contain the disease, prevent further spread and provide care for those affected,” the minister said.
Deby also announced increased border surveillance and testing, as well as the launch of a national awareness campaign. He added that Sierra Leone’s medical system is ready to respond to cases, pointing to experience gained during the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks.
“We urge all citizens to remain calm, informed and immediately report any suspicious cases to health authorities,” said Demby.
Mpox is caused by a virus from the same family as smallpox, manifesting as high fever and skin lesions, called vesicles.
Also known as monkeypox, it was first identified by scientists in 1958 when there was an outbreak of a “pox-like” disease in monkeys. Until recently, most human cases were seen in people in Central and West Africa who were in close contact with infected animals.
In 2022, the virus was confirmed to be sexually transmitted for the first time, as outbreaks were launched in more than 70 countries around the world that had not previously reported measles.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has borne the brunt of the outbreak, with the vast majority of about 43,000 suspected cases and 1,000 deaths in Africa this year.
A decade ago, Sierra Leone was the epicenter of an Ebola outbreak that ravaged West Africa in an epidemic that killed about 4,000 people, including nearly 7 percent of the country’s health workers, between 2014 and 2016.
