Sierra Leone Declares Health Emergency Over Mpox

Facts

• Sierra Leone declared a public health emergency on Monday after confirming two patients with cases of Mpox — who are receiving treatment at Freetown's Connaught Hospital — within four days. These are the country's first cases since the WHO declared a global health emergency in 2024.^[1][2]
• The first patient, a 27-year-old from Western Area Rural District, had traveled to the town of Lungi between Dec. 26 and Jan. 6. The second patient, a 21-year-old from Freetown, showed symptoms on Jan. 6, however, neither case had known contact with infected animals or other sick individuals.^[3][4]
• The Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced the majority of Africa's Mpox cases — accounting for approximately 70% of the continent's 49,933 suspected cases — and contributed significantly to the roughly 1K deaths recorded across affected countries.^[1][3]
• The current outbreak involves a new strain that is believed to transmit more easily and also causes a more severe version of the disease. This differs from the 2022 variant that primarily affected men and was controlled through vaccination of vulnerable groups.^[2]
• Sierra Leone's Health Minister, Austin Demby, announced increased border surveillance, enhanced testing protocols, and the launch of a national awareness campaign as part of the emergency response measures.^[3][5]
• The country's healthcare system, which previously lost 7% of its workforce during the 2014 Ebola outbreak that claimed nearly 4K lives in Sierra Leone alone, is reportedly depending on the experience it gained from managing both Ebola and COVID outbreaks to apply to Mpox response efforts.^[6][7]

Sources: ^[1]The East African, ^[2]DW, ^[3]Al Jazeera, ^[4]Sierra Leone Times, ^[5]DAWN, ^[6]The Week and ^[7]Africa News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Al Jazeera and The East African. The rapid implementation of emergency measures highlights Sierra Leone's improved healthcare response capabilities, which are built from hard-learned lessons during previous epidemics. The West African nation is now better equipped to contain the outbreak through enhanced surveillance and public health protocols.
• Narrative B, as provided by DAWN and DW. The emergence of a more transmissible and severe strain of Mpox, combined with the lack of clear transmission patterns in the current cases, raises serious concerns about the potential for widespread community transmission. This is a concerning challenge — especially in a region with limited healthcare resources.