Sierra Leone has recorded a total of 2,045 confirmed cases of mpox since the start of the year, with 11 reported deaths, according to a new report released by the country’s Ministry of Health. The latest figures, unveiled late Monday, include 165 new cases reported just on Sunday.
At the beginning of May, health officials had confirmed nine deaths and 1,140 cases, highlighting a sharp and worrying spike in infections within just two weeks.
In response to the growing health crisis, Health Minister Dr. Austin Demby met with the Indian High Commissioner on Tuesday to request 100,000 doses of mpox vaccines to help contain the outbreak.
“We have a state problem on our hands,” Demby told lawmakers during a parliamentary session. Reflecting on the country’s past resilience, he added, “We survived Ebola, we managed Covid, and we will overcome mpox too.”
To address the surge, the government opened four specialized treatment centres in the capital, Freetown, back in February. The minister noted that while January saw only isolated cases just one or two per day the numbers steadily increased through March and April, averaging 50 daily cases before the outbreak escalated dramatically in May. The most affected areas are in the western region, encompassing both urban and rural communities.
The rise in infections mirrors a broader trend across the continent, with countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, and Kenya also reporting significant outbreaks.
Mpox is a viral disease related to smallpox, typically presenting with high fever, skin lesions, and other flu-like symptoms. First identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970, the virus was largely contained within a dozen African countries until it began spreading globally in 2022. In 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared its highest level of alert over the disease.
Sierra Leone is no stranger to deadly outbreaks. During the 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic, the country suffered nearly 4,000 deaths, including a devastating loss of nearly seven percent of its healthcare workforce.
With mpox now posing a fresh public health challenge, the government is racing to contain the spread and secure critical vaccine supplies to protect its population.
