Sierra Leone is dealing with a rise in recorded mpox infections, with 177 new instances reported in current days, a well being ministry official advised AFP.
The West African nation, which in January declared a public well being emergency to fight mpox, has despatched well being groups to hold out screening operations in households of individuals suspected to be contaminated with the virus.
Amanda Clemens, social mobilization coordinator for the well being ministry, stated Saturday that well being staff had recorded a complete of 177 instances over the Friday-Saturday interval.
Sierra Leone has recorded 763 instances of mpox since January with six deaths and 282 recoveries, in accordance with knowledge from the Nationwide Public Well being Company revealed Saturday.
Freetown, the capital, has the very best variety of detected mpox instances because the well being emergency was declared. Consequently, the federal government has opened 4 remedy facilities within the capital since February.
“Misinformation and concern surrounding mpox proceed to stop some folks from looking for medical help and a few people weren’t examined early sufficient and should have unknowingly unfold the illness earlier than their prognosis,” stated Sallu Lansana, a part of the well being ministry’s vaccination workforce.
The nation began vaccinating frontline well being care staff and high-risk people and youngsters from age 12 in early April, after securing 61,300 doses from the World Well being Group (WHO) and improvement companions.
“Over 1,000 folks have been vaccinated with the bulk being well being staff and lots of of whom are ladies,” stated Desmond Maada Kangbai, who leads the well being ministry’s vaccination program.
Mpox is brought on by a virus from the identical household as smallpox, manifesting in a excessive fever and pores and skin lesions, referred to as vesicles.
First recognized within the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970, the illness had typically been confined to a dozen African international locations.
However in 2022, it started to unfold extra extensively, reaching developed international locations the place the virus had by no means beforehand circulated.
The WHO declared its highest stage of alert in 2024.
A decade in the past, Sierra Leone was one of many international locations worst affected by an Ebola epidemic which between 2014 and 2016 killed about 4,000 folks, together with practically 7% of well being staff.
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Well being staff in Sierra Leone see surge in mpox instances (2025, April 27)
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