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). 

This is the third donation of mpox control laboratory and medical supplies since the onset of mpox outbreak in January 2025, marking the largest to the country this year. The supplies aim to strengthen the national response to mpox and reinforce broader health programmes including HIV and the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI).

The official handover ceremony took place at the Emergency Operations Center of the NPHA in Freetown, where WHO Representative Dr George Ameh presented the items to the Honourable Deputy Minister of Health 1, Professor Charles Senessie.

The donation targets three critical health priorities: the response to mpox, HIV services, and immunization coverage. Among the supplies are personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers, GeneXpert cartridges and other essential laboratory materials for mpox diagnosis and monitoring, as well as cold chain equipment to support HIV and immunization service delivery.

Dr George Ameh emphasized WHO’s ongoing commitment to global health security and its partnership with Sierra Leone. “We are pleased to hand over these essential supplies which will immediately contribute to the mpox response and help build long-term health system resilience. Strengthening health infrastructure today is an investment in the country’s future capacity to prevent and respond to public health threats.”

The donated equipment will immediately support the ongoing mpox response and contribute to broader health system resilience. As the country continous to report new cases, the supplies are expected to strengthen laboratory capacity, improve case detection and monitoring, ensure the safety of healthcare workers while strengthening HIV and immunization programmes.

Receiving the items on behalf of the Executive Director of the NPHA, Dr James Squire, Incident Manager for the mpox response, Professor Senessie expressed appreciation for WHO’s partnership. 

“We thank WHO for this generous donation and assure you it will be used for the intended purpose to strengthen the health sector and improve health outcomes for the people of Sierra Leone. This donation could not have come at a more critical time. It will directly support ongoing efforts to contain the outbreak and protect health workers on the frontline,” he noted.

This contribution is part of WHO’s broader support to strengthen health security, improve emergency preparedness, and advance universal health coverage in Sierra Leone. 

Thanks to GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance and The Global Fund for the generous support.