Sierra Leone News

Dare Es Salam, Gbinleh Chiefdom, Kambia District – July 2025

In the rural village of Dare Es Salam in Gbinleh Chiefdom, Kambia District, 54-year-old Maligie Fofanah walks from house to house, quietly supporting his community’s health. As a Community Health Worker (CHW) Peer Supervisor, Maligie is part of the broader national and district response efforts to Mpox, working alongside teams deployed with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners.

Freetown, 24 July 2025 – Sierra Leone has concluded a two-day virtual training aimed at strengthening the capacity of its national polio committees, as part of a wider regional effort spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa. The training, which ended today, targeted members of the National Certification Committee (NCC), National Polio Expert Committee (NPEC), National Task Force (NTF), and their secretariat.

“When communities are informed and empowered, they become the first and strongest line of defence in public health emergencies.” – Dr. George Ameh, WHO Country Representative in Sierra Leone.

Port Loko - Sierra Leone has received an additional 50,000 doses of the Mpox vaccine to strengthen its response to the ongoing outbreak. The latest consignment brings the total number of Mpox vaccine doses received in-country to approximately 203,300, with the vaccines provided through the support of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and other partners.

Freetown - The World Health Organization (WHO) today handed over eight vehicles to Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health during a brief ceremony held at the Youyi Building in Freetown. The donation, made under the Pandemic Fund Agreement, aims to bolster disease surveillance and emergency response capacities at the district level, particularly in the context of the ongoing Mpox outbreak.

Freetown, Sierra Leone – April 2025 – Sierra Leone hosted the high-level commemoration of African Vaccination Week (AVW) 2025 in Freetown, bringing together global and regional health leaders. Distinguished guests included the Chief Executive Officer of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as well as senior representatives from the African Union, Africa CDC, WHO, UNICEF, Ministry of Health, and the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society (SLRCS).

Freetown - In a major step to sustain gains in digital disease surveillance, Sierra Leone has completed another successful round of nationwide troubleshooting of health facility devices used in electronic Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (eIDSR). Conducted in May and June 2025, the technical exercise covered all 16 districts and aimed to enhance the performance and sustainability of the country’s electronic reporting system.

Freetown, Sierra Leone – Sierra Leone moved a step further in strengthening the national health security system with the validation of the second National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) 2025–2029. The multi-year strategic plan, developed through multi-sectoral engagement and with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), aims to enhance the country’s capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to public health emergencies.

Freetown, Sierra Leone – April 2025 – As part of World Health Day 2025 commemorations, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), convened a high-level National Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) Steering Committee meeting under the theme “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures.” The national sub-theme “Tackling the Public Health Emergency of Preventable Maternal and Child Mortality” reflects Sierra Leone’s renewed efforts to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths.

Freetown - Sierra Leone has taken a critical step toward advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) with the convening of a high-level policy dialogue on the draft Sierra Leone Agency for Universal Health Coverage (SLAUHC) Bill. Organized on 6 May 2025 by the Ministry of Health with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), the one-day engagement brought together over 60 senior leaders in Freetown, including ministers, directors, and technical heads from across the health sector.