When 9-year-old Romulus Jr. fell ill, his father, Romulus Thomas Blackie, thought it was just the flare-up of sickle cell disease which the child had complained of. He never imagined it would be Mpox - a disease that has infected more than 5 200 people and claimed 55 lives in Sierra Leone since January 2025. Cases have been confirmed in all 16 districts of the country with the capital city, Freetown and its suburbs, accounting for nearly 75% of all the reported cases.

“Junior was battling with an episode of sickle cell disease which we were managing at home when he also started presenting with rash”, says Romulus. The 41 year old community leader, and Principal of a community school at Jui, on the outskirt of Freetown, says it never crossed his mind that it would be Mpox when the signs and symptoms started to appear on the child, mainly on his legs. “We focused on managing the child’s sickle cell condition “despite being au fait with information about Mpox”. 

However, in just three days, the progression of the symptoms worried Romulus, though still not thinking of Mpox until when he took the child for healthcare services. “That was when we were advised to get tested for Mpox”, he added. A positive result was returned for the test, and he was admitted. “The news was devastating for the whole family”, says Romulus. However, the family’s compliance with health advice is paying off. All the family members that had had contact with the child while he was sick were all vaccinated against the disease, while also observing other public health measures to prevent themselves from the Mpox. Fortunately, no secondary positive case has been confirmed from contacts of the child.

Interventions to curb the outbreak transmission have been intensified in the recent weeks across the country using integrated enhanced response strategies which have led to a reduction in the number of daily confirmed cases from more than 100 in May to a sustained single digit in August. Meanwhile, over 150 000 individuals, including frontline health workers, and high-risk groups such as commercial sex workers, men who have sex with men; people living with underlying health conditions such as HIV and Diabetes; and contacts of Mpox confirmed cases, have been vaccinated against Mpox during this outbreak. 

Over 5 100 confirmed Mpox patients have also recovered from the disease and discharged from treatment facilities set up by the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Agency in Sierra Leone. “At this facility alone, our dedicated team of health workers have successfully admitted and treated over 500 confirmed Mpox patients”, says Dr Sahr Kellie, Clinical Lead at the Hastings Police Training School, which has been repurposed into a 200 bed Mpox treatment centre - the biggest in the country.

“I was very scared when I learnt that I had Mpox. I got more scared because I could see that my parents were very worried”, says Romulus Thomas Blackie Junior. His experience with the Mpox has triggered his interest in becoming a doctor when he grows up. “The doctors (and health workers) helped me recover from the disease. I would love to do the same someday. I want to save lives and treat people with diseases as a doctor when I am grown up”, he stated.

“The journey of my son’s treatment started with fear but ended with so much joy and a lot of experiences learned along the way and I am very happy with the care he received”, says Romulus. Being a community leader, Romulus says any delay in seeking care might have possibly led to secondary infections among his family members, the church he also leads and among his community members. 

For Romulus and his family, early action turned fear into relief. Their story shows that timely care, vaccination, and adherence to public health advice and strong community ownership, are critical to saving lives. With support from the World Health Organization and partners, health authorities in Sierra Leone continue to strengthen surveillance, treatment, and vaccination efforts to bring the outbreak under control.