Sierra Leone News

When Yusuf Sesay first noticed a strange itch around his genital area, mpox wasn’t the first thing that came to mind. He figured it might just be a mild infection, something a quick pharmacy run could fix. But within a few days, the discomfort spiralled into something harder to ignore: fever, pounding headaches, and the kind of fatigue that made getting out of bed quite difficult. 

Community engagement is visibly reshaping Sierra Leone’s response to mpox. Since the first confirmed case in January 2025, health workers and mobilisers have been moving steadily through affected areas, bridging information gaps, building trust, and helping people understand how to protect themselves and their families.

Freetown, Sierra Leone – In a major boost to Sierra Leone’s health sector, the World Health Organization (WHO) has donated medical supplies and equipment worth over $640,000 to support the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Agency (NPHA). 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Sierra Leone’s response to the ongoing mpox outbreak, following a high-level mission to other districts of concern, Port Loko and Bombali. Led by WHO Country Representative Dr George Ameh, the team engaged with local health authorities, partners, and local councils to assess current efforts and identify opportunities to strengthen the response.

While Sierra Leone is stepping up its mpox response effort, the stories behind the outbreak highlight the virus’s impact and the determination of those affected to protect themselves and their communities.

As Sierra Leone continues to report new cases of mpox, the Ministry of health and partners are strengthening Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in a bid to protect the country’s health workers. 

To reinforce these efforts, the World Health Organization (WHO) visited the Hastings Treatment Centre to donate essential medical supplies. Items such as face masks, surgical and isolation gowns, protective goggles, gloves, and boots will help frontline health workers to reduce their risk of infection and deliver care safely. 

Freetown, Sierra Leone: From 3–7 February 2025, the Government of Sierra Leone, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), hosted a regional study tour for representatives from six Francophone countries—Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Niger—to observe firsthand the country’s successful implementation of the WHO Package of Essential Noncommunicable (PEN) Disease Interventions for Primary Health Care (PEN-Plus) strategy in Kono District.

Freetown, Sierra Leone – March 2025 – The Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Health’s Directorate of Policy, Planning, and Information, successfully conducted two critical assessments to evaluate and strengthen the country’s Health Information System (HIS). Held from 26 to 28 March 2025 at the Lumley Atlantic Hotel Conference Room in Freetown, the assessments were supported technically by the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office and financially by the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO-AFRO).

Freetown, 7 April 2025 – The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health Sierra Leone, joined the global community to commemorate World Health Day 2025 under the theme: "Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures a Call to Action to strengthen systems and partnerships that ensure every woman and newborn survives and thrives. 

Freetown, Sierra Leone, April 2025 – The World Health Organization (WHO), with financial support from the Global Fund, has handed vital medical supplies and two brand-new Toyota minibuses to the Ministry of Health (MOH), Sierra Leone worth USD 432,000 to strengthen the country's health system's capacity. This donation forms part of the WHO's World Health Days celebrations that will run year long.