Korede Abdullah in Lagos
Sierra Leone has recorded a staggering 2,045 mpox cases and 11 deaths since the start of the year, according to a new report by the Ministry of Health.
The most recent surge included 165 new infections reported on a single day, Sunday, marking a dramatic increase from earlier this month, when the tally stood at 1,140 cases and nine deaths.
“We have a state problem on our hands,” Health Minister Austin Demby told parliament on Tuesday, confirming the gravity of the outbreak.
In response, Demby appealed to the Indian High Commissioner for 100,000 vaccine doses to help curb the spread. Despite the crisis, the health minister expressed cautious optimism, referencing Sierra Leone’s history of surviving severe health emergencies.
“This too we will handle,” he said, drawing parallels to the country’s resilience during past Ebola and Covid outbreaks. The government has already taken steps, including the February launch of four mpox treatment centers in the capital, Freetown.
The spike is part of a broader trend across Africa, with thousands of cases reported in countries such as Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, and Kenya.
In Sierra Leone, infections rose steadily from just a few per day in January to over 50 daily in March and April, with a sharp rise in May.
The disease, caused by a virus from the smallpox family, typically leads to fever and skin lesions. While mpox had historically been limited to a dozen African nations, global spread began in 2022, prompting the WHO to declare its highest level of alert in 2024.
