Sierra Leone News

Tracking Ebola in the fishing community of Aberdeen in Freetown, Sierra Leone

11 March 2015 - In February 2015, cases of Ebola began appearing among the community of fishermen living in the coastal area of Aberdeen in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Over 20 cases occurred at the same time, suggesting they had been infected by one source, possibly an unsafe burial. WHO and partners immediately sent teams into the district to work with the community to identify all Ebola cases and those who had been in contact with them, to prevent further infections.

Last Ebola case in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone celebrated an important milestone on Monday, 24 August 2015. For the first time in more than a year, there are no people being treated for Ebola virus disease and no confirmed cases of Ebola in the country.

Kailahun District Supported to Contain Ebola Virus Disease

Freetown, 30 June 2014 -- Kailahun district is the most affected district according to data from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS). 81.4% of the 199 confirmed cases are from Kailahun District as of 29th June 2014.

A District Taskforce for Ebola response is headed by the Kailahun District Council Chairperson Mr Alex Bhonapha who is assisted by the District Medical Officer James Squire. The taskforce meets daily to coordinate Ebola prevention and control strategies. 

Sierra Leone launches Human Papilloma vaccination demonstration project

Cervical cancer is common in women and is responsible for an estimated 530,000 cases and 275,000 deaths yearly globally. The incidence in Sierra Leone is estimated at 670 cases and 466 deaths annually. A comprehensive approach to cervical cancer control includes, immunization of girls ages 9-13 years, screening for precancerous lesions in women and treatment, as well as palliative care for women diagnosed with full blown cervical cancer disease.

Stakeholders Hold Planning Meeting for 2013 National Micronutrient Survey

Nutrition Stakeholders in Sierra Leone with leadership from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS)  and technical support from WHO ended a 3 day micronutrient stakeholder consultative technical workshop on 12 April 2013 in Freetown. The meeting was held to engage partners to come up with concrete strategies and recommendations that will guide a successful conduct of the 2013 National Micronutrient Survey as well as to finalize the survey protocol. The opening session of the meeting was graced by Mr Foday Sawie, Deputy Minister-II of MoHS.

Sierra Leone Prepares for first round 2013 Maternal and Child Health Week Campaign

Sierra Leone will conduct first round 2013 Maternal and Child Health Week (MCHW) Campaign from 24-28 January 2013. Preparations for the campaign are underway. Trainings/orientations were done for Civil Soci-ety Organizations (CSOs), Independent Monitors (IM), National Super-visors, Zonal and District Teams. The media have also been briefed for awareness raising and social mobilizations activities including street to street announcements are ongoing. Trainings of vaccinators/distributors commenced on 22 and will end 23 January in all the districts.

Cholera Situation in Sierra Leone, 12 September 2012

In Sierra Leone, the cholera outbreak is ongoing. As of September 11, 2012, a cumulative of 17,538 cases with 261 deaths giving a case fatality Rate of 1.5% was reported by the Directorate of Disease Prevention and Control.

According to daily reports, district that reported the highest number of cases include: Western Area (115), Bo (19) and Tonkolili (17). Western Area where the capital city Freetown is located continues to report most of the cholera cases.