The Central and Vest African Virus Epidemiology (WAVE) together with the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS) have launched the participatory surveillance and mass awareness campaign against cassava viral disease in Sierra Leone.

The campaign is to draw the attention of policymakers, public opinion leaders, potential donors, and the press to the dangers of cassava viral diseases and their impacts on food security.

It also aims at promoting WAVE’s actions in the fight against cassava viral disease and maintaining an active dialogue with Farmers, seed multipliers, and extension agents.

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The Director-General in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Dr. Mohamed Ayouba Sheriff in addressing those gathered for the start of the event, said he was very much impressed that the participants were drawn from all important walks of life.

“I hope that participants were carefully chosen to witness the launching process,” he said. He pointed out that  cassava has been the close substitute to the main staple food in  the country and that his production has been on the increase over the years.

He encouraged all to fight to embark on the fight against the viral disease that is threatening the existence and growth of cassava.

The country Director of WAVE who is also head of the crop protection department at Njala University, Dr Alusine Edward Samura in his presentation described their response strategy toward the cassava disease as a one-health approach, which he noted the ministry cannot do alone. He said the response plan in an ambitious one that will cost 20 million U.S Dollars for the next five weeks.

“When we calculated all our action for the next five years and we are to empower the crop protection unit, we should be able to respond not only to viruses capacitate for any other major threat emerging from other pathogens,” he said.

Dr. Samura said plant, animals, and the environment are working together and there’s a need for the environment to be taken care of if only mankind is to have a very successful and meaningful life on planet earth. “So the one health approach is very  important and it is the new dimension now,” he said.

He said the treat surrounding the tuber crop is the Cassava Mosaic Disease (CDM) which he said they are trying to manage. He noted that the other virus has been detected so many times in the country that the current analysis from 2022/2021 show the new variants are coming.

“So, we are really troubled about the discovery of new variants for cassava. The worst-case scenario is with the cassava brown streak which we don’t want to enter into the country because it is very much destructive,” he said.

The Technical Coordinator of the National One Health Secretariat, Joseph Bunting-Gradon said the said the one Health Concept originated from Ebola outbreak when the nation learned its lessons from lack of coordination. He said that there is a paradigm shift for every event like outbreak that require the effort of all other ministries to come on board because it’s a national issue.

According to Politico Newspaper, he noted that as they equally anticipate an outbreak on cassava, they believe in using the one health approach that has been embraced by partners and the government as the best way to respond emergencies.