Sierra Leone declares a state of emergency due to a smallpox outbreak Health News

The West African country has confirmed two cases of smallpox in recent days.

Sierra Leone declared a public health emergency after recording two cases mpox It has been reported.

The West African country’s health minister announced the move on Monday after the second case of the deadly viral disease was confirmed.

“The confirmation of two cases of smallpox in the country has prompted immediate action as stipulated in the Public Health Act,” Health Minister Austin Dembe told reporters in the capital, Freetown. “On behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone, I declare a public health emergency,” he added.

Last week, Sierra Leone reported its first confirmed case of smallpox since the African Union health watchdog declared a public health emergency due to a growing smallpox outbreak on the continent. last year.

The National Public Health Agency said on social media that a second case had been confirmed after a 21-year-old man developed symptoms on January 6.

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation said that neither case had recent contact with infected animals or other sick individuals.

Only the first case was related to recent travel, confined to Lungi Airport Town in the northern Port Loko district between December 26 and January 6. The two patients are receiving treatment in a hospital in Freetown.

The minister said that the public health emergency “allows us to act immediately to mobilize the necessary resources to contain the disease, prevent further spread, and provide care to those affected.”

Demby also announced increased border monitoring and testing, as well as the launch of a national awareness campaign. He added that Sierra Leone’s medical system was ready to respond to cases, noting the experience gained during the Ebola and Covid-19 outbreaks.

“We urge all citizens to remain calm, stay informed and report any suspected cases immediately to healthcare authorities,” Demby said.

Mbox is Cause It is caused by a virus from the same family as smallpox, and manifests itself in high fever and skin lesions called vesicles.

Also known as monkeypox, it was first discovered by scientists in 1958 when an outbreak of a “smallpox-like” disease occurred in monkeys. Until recently, most human cases were seen in people in Central and West Africa who had close contact with infected animals.

In 2022, the virus was first confirmed to be spread through sex, with outbreaks occurring in more than 70 countries around the world that had not previously reported smallpox.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has borne the brunt of the epidemic, recording the vast majority of the nearly 43,000 suspected cases and 1,000 deaths in Africa this year.

A decade ago, Sierra Leone was the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak that swept across West Africa in an epidemic that killed about 4,000 people, including nearly 7 percent of the country’s health workers, between 2014 and 2016.