Sierra Leone is currently embroiled in a significant mpox outbreak, with health authorities struggling to manage an alarming rise in infections. The West African country has reported that cases have exceeded last year's totals, causing concern among public health officials. In a difficult decision made in January, health authorities opted to allow mpox patients to be treated at home. This was initially designed to prevent vulnerable individuals, such as pregnant women and those suffering from malaria, from avoiding hospitals out of fear of contracting the virus.
Unfortunately, this strategy backfired as the highly contagious virus spread rapidly through densely populated urban regions, affecting all 16 districts in Sierra Leone, including its capital, Freetown. The government has since established multiple centers for patient isolation and treatment. However, these facilities have quickly filled to capacity, and the available vaccines are profoundly insufficient to meet the demand.
Moreover, a public health initiative aimed at tracing contacts of infected individuals came to a halt in April due to financial constraints, leaving the health ministry's urgent plea for vaccines largely unmet. “We are dealing with an already fragile health system, which is now further strained by the ongoing financial crisis and a withdrawal of essential development assistance,” stated Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, who leads the response to mpox at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The situation underscores a dire need for international intervention and resources to curb the ongoing outbreak effectively.
