Sierra Leone declares state of emergency over MPOX outbreak | Health News

The West African country has confirmed two cases of MPO in recent days.

Sierra Leone declared a public health emergency after reporting two cases of MPO.

The West African nation'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 MPO in the country has prompted us to take immediate action in accordance with the provisions of 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 State of emergency.”

Last week, Sierra Leone reported its first confirmed case of MPO since the African Union health watchdog declared a public health emergency last year due to the growing MPO outbreak on the continent.

The second case was confirmed after a 21-year-old man developed symptoms on January 6, the National Public Health Service said on social media.

Neither case had recent exposure to infected animals or other sick individuals, the DOH said.

Only the first case involved recent travel and was limited to travel to the northern airport town of Lungi in Port Loko district between December 26 and January 6. Both patients are being treated at a hospital in Freetown.

The public health emergency “allows us to take immediate action and mobilize the necessary resources to contain the disease, prevent further spread and provide care to those affected,” the minister said.

Denbigh also announced increased border surveillance and testing and launched a national information campaign. He added that Sierra Leone's health system was prepared to respond to cases, pointing to experience gained during the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks.

“We urge all citizens to remain calm, stay informed and promptly report any suspected cases to medical authorities,” Denbigh said.

Mpox is caused by a virus in the same family as smallpox and presents with high fever and skin lesions called blisters.

Also known as monkeypox, it was first discovered by scientists in 1958, following an outbreak of a “pox-like” disease among monkeys. Until recently, most human cases were found in people in central and west Africa who had close contact with infected animals.

In 2022, sexual transmission of the virus was confirmed for the first time, and outbreaks broke out in more than 70 countries around the world where MPOX had never been reported before.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has borne the brunt of the epidemic, with the vast majority of approximately 43,000 suspected cases and 1,000 deaths in Africa this year.

Ten years ago, Sierra Leone was the epicenter of the Ebola epidemic, which ravaged West Africa between 2014 and 2016, killing about 4,000 people, including nearly 7% of the country's health workers.