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The US government has announced the donation of Mpox testing kits to the Sierra Leone Health Ministry.
“The US CDC (Center for Disease Control) has secured kits for donation to Sierra Leone,” the US embassy in Freetown said on X.
The US said the kits will enable 300 Mpox tests.
“These tests will help identify Mpox cases, ensuring timely diagnosis and intervention,” the embassy said.
The donation was made days after the Sierra Leone government announced the disease as a public health emergency.
So far three cases have been recorded with the Western Area (the most populous) recording a case earlier this week.
Speaking at the declaration, Health Minister Dr Austin Demby said, “It allows us to act immediately in order to mobilize the needed human and material resources to contain the disease, prevent further spread and provide quality care to those already affected.”
This is the first time Sierra Leone is recording an Mpox case since its discovery in 1958.
The disease, which was famously known as Monkeypox, is part of the same family as the virus that causes smallpox.
Victims to the disease are disturbed with rash and other symptoms like fever.
According to the CDC, Mpox is divided into Clade I and II with latter being the recent outbreak.
Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria have reported cases of the disease, raising awareness of the need for increased health measures in the sub-region, which is characterised by highly porous borders.
Health experts in Sierra Leone express concern over the potential impact of the disease in a country where access to healthcare services and personnel is limited. There are fears that this situation could raise significant challenges in effectively managing health outcomes and preventing further spread.
