Sierra Leone is the latest addition to the Incident Management Support Team (IMST) list of the most mpox-hit nations. Skyrocketing cases are triggering concern across Africa.
Sierra Leone recorded its first case on January 10, 2025. Immediately after, Minister of Health Dr Austin Demby declared a Public Health Emergency, saying at the time the move was necessary to prevent the virus from further spreading.
During a recent online weekly media briefing, Dr Ngashi Ngongo, who leads Africa CDC’s mpox IMST, said cases are down in the main hotspots in the region’s outbreak countries, such as Burundi, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “We’ve started now seeing also some light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
Sierra Leone reported a rising number of confirmed mpox cases, with over 200 new confirmed cases reported in April, highlighting the increased transmission in the country. In early May, it had half of Africa’s confirmed cases, with its outbreak expanding over the past six weeks and cases rising 71% last week compared to the week before. The country was averaging about 100 new cases a day, he said.