The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has donated 75,000 doses of MPOX vaccine to the government of Sierra Leone.
The Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Sierra Leone, Liv Elin Indreiten stated that their goal is to support the National Public Health Agency (NPHA) and the Ministry of Health in bringing vaccines through the GAVI.
Sierra Leone is currently providing free MPOX vaccination to health workers and other vulnerable people in a bid to fight the virus.
Over 3,500 people in Sierra Leone have been infected with the virus since January 2025. With over 25 death confirmed, about 80% of all cases confirmed are in the capital Freetown, the country’s most densely populated region.
About a couple of months ago, Africa CDC raised concern over the spread of the virus in Sierra Leone after the West African nation was recording about half of all cases in the continent.
Sierra Leone’s health system is already stressed and barely recovering from the devasting Ebola Outbreak that ended in November 2015. UNICEF’s intervention is believed to be crucial step stopping the spread of the virus, especially in the capital Freetown.