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The National Public Health Agency (NPHA) convened a meeting on January 20, 2026, at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to mark the close of the Shortening Outbreak Notification and Response (SONAR) Project and launch the Global Fund–supported COVID-19 Early Warning Surveillance component.
The meeting brought together representatives from government ministries, public health institutions, and partner organizations to review SONAR achievements and discuss the next phase of disease surveillance in Sierra Leone.
Statements were delivered by representatives from the Global Fund, the Task Force for Global Health, the Intersectoral Public Health Action Unit (IPHAU), the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Partners highlighted the importance of cross-sector coordination across human, animal, and environmental health sectors and reaffirmed NPHA’s central role in managing surveillance activities.
Dr. James Squire, Director of Surveillance and Epidemiology at NPHA, delivered the keynote presentation, outlining the 7-1-7 framework, which sets targets to detect outbreaks within seven days, notify authorities within one day, and initiate a response within seven days. He stressed that achieving these targets relies on timely data reporting, cross-sector collaboration, and rapid frontline response.
Dr. Squire also presented the electronic Event-Based Surveillance (EBS) Tracker integrated into DHIS2, a platform designed to capture reports from human, animal, and environmental health sources to support early detection and response.
Activities completed under the SONAR Project included:
Cross-sectoral EBS trainings in Kailahun (83 participants), Kambia (74), Kenema (141), and Western Area Urban (112)
A National Training of Trainers involving 67 participants from 12 districts
eIDSR training for 129 staff from private health facilities
Demonstrations of the DHIS2-based EBS platform and the NPHA Data Hub
The meeting concluded with the handover of EBS documentation from the project team to NPHA, marking the formal transition of responsibilities to the Agency.
In closing remarks, Dr. Joseph Sam Kanu emphasized that SONAR strengthened preparedness and coordination for outbreak detection and response, and that the project’s close-out reflects continued efforts to improve public health surveillance in Sierra Leone.
