Sierra Leone News

Sierra Leone launched the first round 2013 polio immunization campaign on 24 January 2013 in Moyamba District. This was integrated with the Maternal and Child Health Week (MCHW) Campaign The event was launched by Dr Abu Bakarr Fofanah, Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation (MoHS). In his address Dr Fofanah stated that scaling up of maternal and child health services is a high priority on the government’s agenda. He urged the full participation of stakeholders for a successful outcome of the campaign.

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation launched three documents on Reproductive and Child Health programme on 7 November 2012. The documents included Reproductive, Newborn and Child Health (RNCH) Policy 2011-2015, RNCH Strategy 2011-2015 and a Strategic Plan for Adolescent and Young People’s Health & Development 2011-2015. The Acting Minister of Health and Sanitation Hon. Borbor Sawyerr launched the documents. State functionaries, UN agencies and other development partners, and health implementing partners attended the ceremony.

A cumulative total of 18,734 cases and 272 deaths have been reported by the Directorate of Disease Prevention and Control in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation as of 17 September, 2012.

On 17 September, 214 cases with one death were reported from the 12 affected districts. Western Area remains the worst affected district with 106 reported cases. The Case Fatality Rate for Western Area is at 1.0% while the attack rate is 0.77%.

As of 29 August 2012, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone has reported a total of 14,521 cholera cases with 243 deaths since January 2012, affecting 11 of the 13 districts in the country. Western Area (where the capital city Freetown is located) have reported about 50% of the cumulative total case load followed by Port Loko 21% and Kambia district 9%. The overall case fatality rate is 1.7%. The daily reported number of cases is still high with Western Area reporting about 63 % of the cases.

President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Dr Ernest Bai Koroma has declared a national “humanitarian emergency” over the cholera outbreak that has resulted in 10, 734 reported cases and 181 deaths in 8 of the 13 affected districts by August 15, 2012.

Cholera situation in Sierra Leone - 15 August 2012

Freetown, Sierra Leone – 31 August 2015: Detection of a new case of Ebola virus disease in Kambia, Sierra Leone after the country had marked almost three weeks of zero cases has set in motion the first ‘ring vaccination’ use of the experimental Ebola vaccine in Sierra Leone.

The last batch of Ebola responders from the Cuban Medical Brigade will depart Sierra Leone on 1 April 2015, following a farewell ceremony with local dignitaries on Monday, 30 March in Freetown. The first contingent of 98 Cuban health workers departed Sierra Leone on Sunday 22 March after nearly 6 months supporting the Ebola outbreak response in the country.

Epidemiological data

WHO is helping Sierra Leone to mobilize all its experience and partners to ensure that any new cases of Ebola are investigated and transmission of the disease stopped as rapidly as possible. Sad news that a 16-year old girl had died from Ebola in Bombali district, a part of the country that had a large outbreak 6 months ago, sparked an immediate inter-agency rapid response. Partners sent people with the skills and equipment needed to stop further infection in Bombali.

In Sierra Leone, the Ebola outbreak has affected all aspects of health care. Exact numbers are yet to be confirmed but it is clear that many children have missed out on routine vaccination services during the outbreak. To counter this, mass immunization campaigns are being held nationwide