Sierra Leone News

The World Health Organization (WHO) with funding from the Islamic Development Bank Group (@isdb_group) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (@sida), handed over essential medical supplies valued at more than US $430,000 to the

The Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and National Public Health Agency with support of WHO and other partners including UNICEF, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance have completed the first round of a nation-wide vaccination campaign to control the spread of vaccine-derived type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV2) in Sierra Leone.

On 25 April 2024, six-month-old Zainab Conteh became the first child in Sierra Leone to receive the WHO-approved malaria vaccine, during the campaign launch at the State House in Freetown. This marked the beginning of a significant public health milestone in Sierra Leone's fight against malaria.

On World Malaria Day, Sierra Leone officially launches the introduction and rollout of 550 000 RTS’S WHO vaccine procured by UNICEF with funding from GAVI, becoming the third country in 2024 to introduce this campaign after Cameroon and Burkina Faso.

A delegation from the Mozambique Ministry of Health, led by National Director of Public Health Dr. Quinhas Francisco Fernandes, visited Sierra Leone from March 25th to 29th for a South-to-South learning and experience sharing facilitated by the WHO Country Office. The visit focused on learning from Sierra Leone's experiences in emergency management, preparedness, and response.

In March 2024, Sierra Leone's National Points of Entry, and border health, with technical support from WHO, conducted a seven-day supervision initiative in nineteen points of entry across eight border districts including the airport. The objective was to identify immediate gaps and offer recommendations for swift resolution. While routine capabilities have been developed for main points of entry and 38 border crossings over the years, attention is now directed towards the remaining 298 crossing points requiring effective operations. Critical capacities established, include the availability of port health staff for traveler screening and establishing linkages between points of entry and nearby health facilities for swift referrals, essential for ensuring a quick and safe response.

Falaba District, Sierra Leone — The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided crucial technical and financial support to investigate a concerning increase in watery diarrhea cases in Falaba District. The support comes in response to a social media alert received on 20 March 2024, signaling a rise in diarrhea episodes in the district.