DAKAR, Senegal — On Monday, Sierra Leone announced a state of emergency in response to the discovery of its second case of mpox within a span of just four days, according to health authorities.
Both individuals affected have no known recent interactions with infected animals or other people who are ill, as per the health ministry’s report. The first case was associated with recent travel to the airport town of Lungi, located in the northern Port Loko District, between December 26 and January 6. Currently, both patients are receiving medical care at a facility in the capital city, Freetown.
Mpox, which is commonly referred to as monkeypox, was initially recognized by researchers in 1958 when there were outbreaks of a pox-like ailment in monkeys. Historically, most human infections were documented among populations in central and West Africa who came into close contact with infected animals.
In 2022, health experts confirmed that the virus could be transmitted through sexual contact, leading to outbreaks in over 70 countries that had not recorded cases of mpox prior to the events of that year. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has faced the most significant impact, accounting for the majority of the approximately 43,000 suspected cases and roughly 1,000 deaths reported in Africa during 2023.
Sierra Leone has a history of battling infectious disease outbreaks, previously serving as the epicenter for the 2014 Ebola crisis, the deadliest recorded outbreak in history. The impact of the Ebola epidemic was heavily felt in Sierra Leone, with nearly 4,000 fatalities among over 11,000 deaths globally, and a substantial loss of 7% of the nation’s healthcare workforce as a result.
