The West African nation has confirmed two instances of mpox in latest days.
Sierra Leone has declared a public well being emergency after two instances of mpox had been reported.
The West African nation’s well being minister introduced the transfer on Monday after the second case of the lethal viral illness was confirmed.
“The affirmation of two instances of mpox within the nation has prompted instant motion as mandated by the Public Well being Act,” Well being Minister Austin Demby advised reporters within the capital, Freetown. “On behalf of the federal government of Sierra Leone, I’m declaring a public well being emergency.”
Final week, Sierra Leone reported its first confirmed case of mpox for the reason that African Union’s well being watchdog declared a public well being emergency over the rising mpox outbreak on the continent last year.
A second case was confirmed after a 21-year-old man confirmed signs on January 6, the Nationwide Public Well being Company mentioned on social media.
Neither case had identified latest contact with contaminated animals or different sick people, the Ministry of Well being and Sanitation mentioned.
Solely the primary case concerned latest journey, restricted to the airport city of Lungi within the northern Port Loko District between December 26 and January 6. Each sufferers are receiving therapy at a hospital in Freetown.
The general public well being emergency “permits us to behave instantly to mobilise the assets wanted to comprise the illness, forestall additional unfold and supply care to these affected”, the minister mentioned.
Demby additionally introduced elevated border surveillance and testing, in addition to the launch of a nationwide consciousness marketing campaign. He added that Sierra Leone’s medical system was prepared to answer instances, pointing to expertise gained through the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks.
“We urge all residents to stay calm, keep knowledgeable and report any suspected instances promptly to healthcare authorities,” Demby mentioned.
Mpox is caused by a virus from the identical household as smallpox, manifesting in a excessive fever and pores and skin lesions, known as vesicles.
Also called monkeypox, it was first recognized by scientists in 1958 when outbreaks of a “pox-like” illness in monkeys occurred. Till lately, most human instances had been seen in individuals in Central and West Africa who had shut contact with contaminated animals.
In 2022, the virus was confirmed for the primary time to unfold through intercourse, as outbreaks had been triggered in additional than 70 nations internationally that had not reported mpox beforehand.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has borne the brunt of the epidemic, with a overwhelming majority of the roughly 43,000 suspected instances and 1,000 deaths in Africa this yr.
A decade in the past, Sierra Leone was the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak that ravaged West Africa in an epidemic killing some 4,000 individuals, together with almost 7 % of the nation’s well being employees, between 2014 and 2016.
