Sierra Leone News

Sierra Leone commemorates World Breastfeeding Week from 1-7 Au-gust 2011 on the theme Talk to Me! Breastfeeding - a 3D experience. The theme highlights the importance of communication, information and experience sharing in protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding. The occasion was launched by the Minister of Health and Sanitation Hon Zainab Bangura. The MOHS also launched “We Pikin Network” (Our Children’s Network) initiatives which is a com-munity support group to promote exclusive breastfeeding.

Ministry of Health and Sanitation held its second quarter 2011 Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) review meeting on 21-22 July 2011. The objectives were to discuss surveillance performance at national and district levels and to prepare plan for the next quarter. Participants of meeting included Directors, Programme Managers, and District Medical Officers, National and District Surveillance Officers. WHO provided financial and technical support for the meeting.

Sierra Leone commemorated World Blood Donor Day (WBDD)2011 on the theme “More blood. More life”. The theme highlights the need to collect more blood and to ensure the availability and accessibility of blood to a larger number of patients to save their lives. Commemoration of the Day still continues in the country with a chain of community outreach activities to recruit more voluntary blood donors and to collect more safe blood for the National Safe Blood Services. These activities are being undertaken by both the voluntary donors themselves and Ministry of Health official and partners.

Sierra Leone launched its third Round of National Immunization Days (NIDs) 2011 campaign on 24 June. The campaign will be conducted effective its launch date to 27 June to administer Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) to over one million children below the age of 5 years. The campaign is being synchronised with other countries in the West African Sub-region to protect targeted children from infection with polio virus which is still circulating in the region.

As part of the commemoration of World No Tobacco Day 2011, there has been increased momentum in the campaign for tobacco control in Sierra Leone. The theme for this year's campaign is "The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control". The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) treaty aims to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.

WHO Country Office in Sierra Leone donated vehicles, motor bikes and various equipment and furniture to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) as part of its continued support to the country’s health sector.

The items worth over US$400,000, were procured for different programmes including Blood Transfusion, Laboratory strengthening, Malaria Control, Disease Prevention and Control, Nutrition, Reproductive and Child Health, and Human Resources and Medical & Dental Council of Sierra Leone.

The Sierra Leonean Minister of Health and Sanitation, Mrs Zainab Bangura, and of Lands, Country Planning and the Environment, Rtd. Captain Allieu Pat Sowe, have signed the Luanda Commitment on the implementation of the Libreville Declaration on Health and Environment in Africa.

The two ministers signed the document to reaffirm the country’s interest and commitment to address health and environment linkages as they affect environmental risk factors to health.

Sierra Leone launched the first African Vaccination Week (AVW) on 23rd May to strengthen national immunization programmes and improve knowledge among parents and caregivers about the need to vaccinate their children against vaccine preventable diseases.

The Week was launched by the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Her Excellency Mrs Sia Nyama Koroma in Freetown in a colourful ceremony in the presence of government functionaries, UN agencies, other development partners, health workers, the civil society and the gen-eral public.

The Executive Representative of the UN Secretary General (ERSG) in Sierra Leone, Mr Michael Von-der Schulenburg made a working visit to the WHO Country Office on 19 May 2011. The purpose of his visit was to be updated on the work of WHO and interact with Staff Members.

World Malaria Day was commemorated in Sierra Leone on the global theme “Achieving Progress and Impact”. A national Slogan “Kick malaria. always sleep under insecticide treated net” was selected to raise awareness on malaria prevention and control. The purpose of celebrating malaria day is to recognize the global effort to provide effective control of malaria. Various speakers from the MOHS and partners delivered statements committing their respective organizations to join hands in the fight against malaria.