FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – On Thursday, Sierra Leone commenced a nationwide campaign to distribute a single-dose Ebola vaccine. This initiative marks a significant milestone as it represents the first comprehensive vaccination effort in West Africa since the catastrophic outbreak a decade ago that claimed thousands of lives.
The catastrophic Ebola outbreak of 2014, the deadliest recorded to date, heavily impacted West Africa, with Sierra Leone experiencing the highest toll, suffering nearly 4,000 fatalities out of over 11,000 global deaths. The crisis also resulted in the loss of approximately 7% of the country’s healthcare workforce.
This vaccination program, developed in collaboration with the government, the global vaccine alliance Gavi, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations children’s agency, aims to immunize 20,000 frontline workers across the nation, according to officials.
“This is an investment in the safety of our people and a healthier Sierra Leone,” affirmed Health Minister Dr. Austin Demby.
During the chaotic circumstances of the 2014 outbreak, which saw nearly 28,000 infections begin in Guinea before spreading to Sierra Leone and Liberia, no approved vaccine was available.
Although three years have passed since the last case was reported in Guinea, officials caution that there are still lingering threats in regions where the disease is endemic.
Hassan Kamara, a resident of Freetown, shared his tragic experience of losing nine family members to the disease during the height of the outbreak. Among the 11 people he lived with at the time, only he and his infant daughter survived.
“They died in front of me,” Kamara recounted. “I feel bad sometimes speaking about this because of what I went through.”
The vaccination drive, which initiated in Freetown, has been positively received by health professionals. Collins Thomas, a community health worker in the capital, reflected on losing many colleagues during the crisis while treating patients.
“It was scary, because we knew nothing about the disease and learned along the line. With this vaccine, we know we are protected,” Thomas noted.
Dr. Sania Nishtar, the chief executive of Gavi, expressed pride in the organization’s role in ensuring timely and equitable access to vaccines, believing that this support has been instrumental in saving lives and safeguarding communities.
“To have the first nationwide preventive vaccination campaign take place in the country most deeply impacted by the 2014 outbreak makes this historic milestone even more meaningful,” Dr. Nishtar stated.
