By Kemo Cham
Health authorities in Sierra Leone are calling for increased vigilance as cases of Mpox spiral.
The last few weeks have witnessed the largest increase in cases since the country recorded its first case of the virus in January, data from the National Public Health Agency (NPHA) shows.
The number of cumulative confirmed cases stands at 477 as at Sunday, April 20th, 2025, according to the data.
The NPHA announced in March a campaign designed to raise awareness about the disease, identify cases in the communities and vaccinate those at risk among the population.
The Sierra Leone government declared National Public Health Emergency after the country recorded its first case of the viral disease on January 10th, 2025, four months after the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus an emergency of continental and international concerns, respectively.
The Ministry of Health justified the declaration of emergency at the time as a testament to the government’s determination to prevent the virus from spreading out of control, taking lessons from the country’s experience with of Ebola and Covid-19.
However, nearly three months later, cases of Mpox have dramatically increased, raising numerous concerns about the virus and its pattern of infection among experts themselves.
“Since January 10th we were recording one, two or three cases, but over the last couple weeks we found out that we have been recording more cases,” Prof. Foday Sahr, Executive Director of NPHA, said at a special briefing organized for social media bloggers on Thursday, April 17, 2025. The agency wants to use social media influencers who have large following to disseminate relevant information about the disease.
An analysis of the NPHA data reveals that the last few weeks have witnessed the largest surge in cases; within two weeks (April 1st to 17th), cases increased by almost 300 percent (from 125 to 301 new cases). Within 24 hours (April 17th to 18th), the agency reported 53 new cases.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a virus that causes fevers, headaches, and painful boils on the skin. It can spread from infected animals to humans, and from person to person through close physical contact, including sexual intercourse.
The current global outbreak began in 2023, and the Africa CDC declared it a Public Health of Continental Security on August 13, 2024, after cases escalated across the continent. A day later, on August 14th, WHO also declared it Public Health Concern of International Security, under the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR) — the global health agency’s highest-level alert.
Latest data from Africa CDC as of April 17th, show that 27, 473 cumulative confirmed cases have been recorded from 2024 to 2025, with 167 fatalities.
A total of 22 countries on the continent are experiencing active transmission of cases, according to the data.
On Thursday, Africa CDC Director General, Dr Jean Kaseye said latest data suggested a decrease in cases at the continental level, and he announced a scheduled meeting of the agency’s Emergency Consultative Group (ECG) to advise on the fate of the emergency status.
On the same day, Sierra Leonean health authorities said they were intensifying sensitization and vaccination efforts, with a focus on the population most at risk.
Last month, NPHA launched an operation termed ‘Find them all,” geared towards identifying cases in the communities. The agency believes that this may have led to the sudden increase in the cases.
Its data shows that most cases are in the Western Area (the capital, Freetown and its environs).
Prof. Sahr says the campaign will continue. And in anticipation of more cases, he revealed that the humanitarian organization, Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym, MSF, is putting up a 50-bed tent to be used as a treatment center, in addition to existing centers in major hospitals across the country, including the Chinese hospital in Jui, Connaught Hospital and the Police Hospital in Kingtom.
The Ministry of Health last month rolled out the Mpox vaccination campaign. Initially, health workers and high risk people like contacts of infected persons were prioritized for the vaccine.
But now the focus will be on hotspots like the Western Area and contacts of infected persons, according to authorities.
