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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
What Happens in Sierra Leone's Mpox Outbreak Affects Us All
Sentinel scientists collaborating to sequence mpox samples Credit - Kat Kendon—Kendon Photography A dangerous mpox outbreak is unfolding in Sierra Leone. In just the first week of May, cases rose by 61%, and suspected cases surged by 71%. Roughly half of all confirmed mpox cases in Africa now come from this small West African nation. The virus is moving widely, across geographies, genders, and age groups. And the virus is changing. Genomic analysis has revealed a fast-moving new variant of mpox—called G.1—that likely emerged in late November. At first it circulated silently but has since taken hold and quickly began sustained human-to-human transmission. Cases have been doubling every two weeks. Estimates suggest more than 11,000 people in Sierra Leone may already be infected. This is how outbreaks become epidemics, and mpox, as a pandemic, could be brutal. Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) belongs to the same viral family as smallpox. It causes a disease that can be painful, disfiguring, and debilitating, particularly in children. In Sierra Leone, nearly all patients present with severe rashes, and about a quarter have required hospitalization; in some, the disease has progressed to necrotizing lesions. It's no longer rare, no longer contained to the LGBTQ community, and it has already reached more than 100 countries. Read More: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: Global-health architect Sierra Leone has been here before, at the epicenter of a disease outbreak while the world looked away. In 2014, Ebola swept through the West African region. A single mutation supercharged its spread just as it reached Sierra Leone. Tens of thousands died. Health systems collapsed. The global cost soared into the billions. The lesson? Delay is deadly. As infectious disease researchers, we've lived that lesson. For two decades, we've worked alongside colleagues across Africa and around the world to build faster, smarter ways to detect and respond to outbreaks. We were on the ground during Ebola, Zika, the COVID-19 pandemic, and recently Marburg—plus, many outbreaks that never made the news because they were stopped in time. Together, we've built technologies that track viruses in real time and trained thousands of frontline workers to use them. What once took months, we can now do in days. And now, in Sierra Leone, we are putting that progress to the test. This time, Sierra Leone isn't waiting for others to step in to do testing and sequencing—it's leading. Within days of the outbreak's escalation, local public-health teams and scientists under the leadership of Sierra Leone's National Public Health Agency—working with international partners including ourselves—expanded testing, began sequencing the virus, analyzed its evolution, and shared data in real-time. They also launched robust social mobilization and contact tracing that are helping to slow the spread. To stay ahead of the virus, teams in Sierra Leone are using powerful new tools. One is Lookout, our real-time national platform that fuses genomic, diagnostic, clinical, and epidemiological data into a single cloud-based system. As more data come in, Lookout gives health officials a live, evolving map of the outbreak, showing where it's spreading, how it's changing, and where to act next. Lookout is just one example of the infrastructure that teams in the U.S. and Africa have co-created through decades of collaboration. It belongs to a broader system called Sentinel, an outbreak detection and response network we co-lead, launched with support from the Audacious Project, a collaborative funding initiative housed at TED. Sentinel is just one part of a larger movement: scientists, engineers, public health leaders, industry partners, and frontline workers working together to build faster, smarter systems to stop outbreaks before they explode. But even the best systems can't run without support. Earlier this year, the U.S. canceled all funding to Sierra Leone and halted a $120 million initiative by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aimed at strengthening epidemic preparedness in the country. The Africa CDC, U.S. CDC, World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations continue to offer vital support, but with far fewer resources than before. Philanthropic and industry partners, including the ELMA Relief Foundation, Danaher, and Illumina, have admirably stepped in, but they cannot fill the gap alone. Today, local teams are doing so much right—with nearly everything stacked against them. The warning signs are flashing. But their resources are running out. Read More: 'This is About Children's Lives': Gavi's CEO Makes the Case for Funding the Global Vaccine Alliance It's tempting to believe this isn't our problem. But thanks to collaborative sequencing efforts, we know the G.1 variant spreading in Sierra Leone has already been detected in at least five patients across multiple U.S. states—Massachusetts, Illinois, and California—and in Europe. It may seem distant—like COVID-19 did at first—but it's not. Yes, vaccines exist, and they are expected to be effective against this new variant. But supply is limited, distribution is deeply inequitable, and the vaccines themselves present challenges—from limited clinical data and uncertain duration of protection to storage requirements—that make large-scale campaigns far from straightforward. West Africa has received only a fraction of the doses it needs. Without both vaccine access and real-time tracking, we're flying blind. Surveillance isn't a luxury. It's our first and best line of defense. Sierra Leone is showing the world what preparedness looks like. But it shouldn't have to stand alone. We can wait—again—until the virus spreads further. Or we can act now, support the leaders in Sierra Leone already responding, and get them the resources they need—like diagnostics, clinical support, vaccines, sequencing reagents, and frontline outbreak response—to save lives and cut this outbreak short. We've seen how the story of viral outbreaks can unfold. This time, with the present mpox epidemic in Sierra Leone, we still have a chance to change the ending. Disclosure: TIME's owners and co-chairs Marc and Lynne Benioff are philanthropic supporters of Sentinel. Contact us at letters@
Time Magazine
2 days ago
- Health
- Time Magazine
Sierra Leone Is Battling an Mpox Outbreak. What Happens Next Affects Us All
A dangerous mpox outbreak is unfolding in Sierra Leone. In just the first week of May, cases rose by 61%, and suspected cases surged by 71%. Roughly half of all confirmed mpox cases in Africa now come from this small West African nation. The virus is moving widely, across geographies, genders, and age groups. And the virus is changing. Genomic analysis has revealed a fast-moving new variant of mpox—called G.1—that likely emerged in late November. At first it circulated silently but has since taken hold and quickly began sustained human-to-human transmission. Cases have been doubling every two weeks. Estimates suggest more than 11,000 people in Sierra Leone may already be infected. This is how outbreaks become epidemics, and mpox, as a pandemic, could be brutal. Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) belongs to the same viral family as smallpox. It causes a disease that can be painful, disfiguring, and debilitating, particularly in children. In Sierra Leone, nearly all patients present with severe rashes, and about a quarter have required hospitalization; in some, the disease has progressed to necrotizing lesions. It's no longer rare, no longer contained to the LGBTQ community, and it has already reached more than 100 countries. Read More: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: Global-health architect Sierra Leone has been here before, at the epicenter of a disease outbreak while the world looked away. In 2014, Ebola swept through the West African region. A single mutation supercharged its spread just as it reached Sierra Leone. Tens of thousands died. Health systems collapsed. The global cost soared into the billions. The lesson? Delay is deadly. As infectious disease researchers, we've lived that lesson. For two decades, we've worked alongside colleagues across Africa and around the world to build faster, smarter ways to detect and respond to outbreaks. We were on the ground during Ebola, Zika, the COVID-19 pandemic, and recently Marburg—plus, many outbreaks that never made the news because they were stopped in time. Together, we've built technologies that track viruses in real time and trained thousands of frontline workers to use them. What once took months, we can now do in days. And now, in Sierra Leone, we are putting that progress to the test. This time, Sierra Leone isn't waiting for others to step in to do testing and sequencing—it's leading. Within days of the outbreak's escalation, local public-health teams and scientists under the leadership of Sierra Leone's National Public Health Agency—working with international partners including ourselves—expanded testing, began sequencing the virus, analyzed its evolution, and shared data in real-time. They also launched robust social mobilization and contact tracing that are helping to slow the spread. To stay ahead of the virus, teams in Sierra Leone are using powerful new tools. One is Lookout, our real-time national platform that fuses genomic, diagnostic, clinical, and epidemiological data into a single cloud-based system. As more data come in, Lookout gives health officials a live, evolving map of the outbreak, showing where it's spreading, how it's changing, and where to act next. Lookout is just one example of the infrastructure that teams in the U.S. and Africa have co-created through decades of collaboration. It belongs to a broader system called Sentinel, an outbreak detection and response network we co-lead, launched with support from the Audacious Project, a collaborative funding initiative housed at TED. Sentinel is just one part of a larger movement: scientists, engineers, public health leaders, industry partners, and frontline workers working together to build faster, smarter systems to stop outbreaks before they explode. But even the best systems can't run without support. Earlier this year, the U.S. canceled all funding to Sierra Leone and halted a $120 million initiative by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aimed at strengthening epidemic preparedness in the country. The Africa CDC, U.S. CDC, World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations continue to offer vital support, but with far fewer resources than before. Philanthropic and industry partners, including the ELMA Relief Foundation, Danaher, and Illumina, have admirably stepped in, but they cannot fill the gap alone. Today, local teams are doing so much right—with nearly everything stacked against them. The warning signs are flashing. But their resources are running out. It's tempting to believe this isn't our problem. But thanks to collaborative sequencing efforts, we know the G.1 variant spreading in Sierra Leone has already been detected in at least five patients across multiple U.S. states—Massachusetts, Illinois, and California—and in Europe. It may seem distant—like COVID-19 did at first—but it's not. Yes, vaccines exist, and they are expected to be effective against this new variant. But supply is limited, distribution is deeply inequitable, and the vaccines themselves present challenges—from limited clinical data and uncertain duration of protection to storage requirements—that make large-scale campaigns far from straightforward. West Africa has received only a fraction of the doses it needs. Without both vaccine access and real-time tracking, we're flying blind. Surveillance isn't a luxury. It's our first and best line of defense. Sierra Leone is showing the world what preparedness looks like. But it shouldn't have to stand alone. We can wait—again—until the virus spreads further. Or we can act now, support the leaders in Sierra Leone already responding, and get them the resources they need—like diagnostics, clinical support, vaccines, sequencing reagents, and frontline outbreak response—to save lives and cut this outbreak short. We've seen how the story of viral outbreaks can unfold. This time, with the present mpox epidemic in Sierra Leone, we still have a chance to change the ending.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sierra Leone launches mpox vaccination drive as cases soar
Sierra Leone has launched a nationwide mpox vaccination campaign after an explosion in cases of a new, more dangerous variant of the virus. Health authorities in the West African country have now confirmed 763 cases of the virus, including 177 recorded in a two day period last week, according to data from the National Public Health Agency. At least six people have died, with most of the infections centred on the capital Freetown and the surrounding area. In response to mounting infections, the government has begun a large-scale vaccination drive targeting frontline healthcare workers, close contacts of confirmed cases, people with compromised immune systems and children from age 12. Since the campaign began at the end of March, more than 1,000 people have been vaccinated against the virus formerly known as monkeypox, which causes characteristic skin lesions and a high fever. 'Over 1,000 people have been vaccinated with the majority being health workers and many of whom are women,' said Desmond Maada Kangbai, who leads the health ministry's vaccination programme. Sierra Leone secured 61,300 vaccine doses from the World Health Organization and other aid organisations. The government has also opened four treatment centres in the capital since February. Other efforts to contain the virus include active surveillance and case-finding, as well as improvements to patient care through a newly renovated Infectious Disease Unit. Radio alerts, signage, and social media posts have all been used to urge the public to seek medical attention promptly if symptoms arise. But inside Freetown's Connaught Hospital, the country's largest public health facility where the first mpox patient was officially diagnosed, supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) are thinning, and overstretched staff are grappling with an overwhelming caseload. Dr Hafeez Barrie, the hospital's Surveillance Manager, said the stigma surrounding the virus – it spreads by close contact and has previously been associated with gay communities – means that patients are sometimes reluctant to seek medical care. 'Our work here is very important in ensuring that we detect cases, that we detect them on time, we isolate them, and we have them treated so we prevent the spread. But we are working in very difficult circumstances because we do not have the technology of many other countries,' Dr Barrie said. 'We are working in a resource-challenged country in terms of health facilities. We often have to improvise,' he said. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) recently completed renovations on the Infectious Disease Unit (IDU), now used to treat mpox patients. The building, which previously served as an isolation centre during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, sits just 50 meters from the main entrance of the hospital, where hundreds of general patients come and go daily for typical hospital care. 'We have a great number of people coming in, and they're looking to us for help and support. You have to be there for them,' said Cecilia Taylor-Williams, a nurse and public health superintendent. Ms Williams oversees the management of the IDU but also cares for mpox patients in the facility along with her small team of nurses. All of the patients here are considered severe cases and arrive in immense distress. 'So many of them come to us thinking they have chicken pox,' she said. 'They arrive here in so much pain, so much anxiety, and many are running fever.' In the IDU, patients require constant care – regular antiviral treatments, proper nutrition, clean water, and psychological support. Providing this level of care is especially challenging in Sierra Leone, where limited resources and fragile infrastructure make even basic healthcare delivery an uphill battle. 'I work almost 11 hours each day,' Ms Taylor-Williams explained, 'but I'm not forced to do it – this is my passion.' The team does everything they can to maintain security and prevent further infections – everyone who enters must don a disposable smock, gloves, and face mask. Medicines and other equipment are passed through a sliding-glass window that separates the patient's ward and Cecilia's office, where other nurses rest between shifts. While Ms Taylor-Williams' patients are some of the most severe cases, most people can recover from mpox without specialised medical intervention, with symptoms resolving in three to four weeks. The new variant of clade I mpox, called clade 1b, began spreading in central Africa in September 2023. A year later, more than 29,000 cases had been reported with over 800 fatalities, nearly all in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sierra Leone recorded its first case in January, just four months after the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). While infections are continuing to mount, Ms Taylor-Williams is optimistic that Sierra Leone can beat the outbreak. 'All of these folders represent people who are back living with their families,' she said, picking up a stack of documents. 'These are all my discharges.' 'I feel satisfied when I feel challenged, and I feel challenged when I receive these cases. But after seeing patients go through the process successfully and then being discharged, I feel very satisfied – and that has always been my goal since I started my nursing career: to serve humanity,' she said. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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Telegraph
30-04-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Sierra Leone launches mpox vaccination drive as cases soar
Sierra Leone has launched a nationwide mpox vaccination campaign after an explosion in cases of a new, more dangerous variant of the virus. Health authorities in the West African country have now confirmed 763 cases of the virus, including 177 recorded in a two day period last week, according to data from the National Public Health Agency. At least six people have died, with most of the infections centred on the capital Freetown and the surrounding area. In response to mounting infections, the government has begun a large-scale vaccination drive targeting frontline healthcare workers, close contacts of confirmed cases, people with compromised immune systems and children from age 12. Since the campaign began at the end of March, more than 1,000 people have been vaccinated against the virus formerly known as monkeypox, which causes characteristic skin lesions and a high fever. 'Over 1,000 people have been vaccinated with the majority being health workers and many of whom are women,' said Desmond Maada Kangbai, who leads the health ministry's vaccination programme. Sierra Leone secured 61,300 vaccine doses from the World Health Organization and other aid organisations. The government has also opened four treatment centres in the capital since February. Other efforts to contain the virus include active surveillance and case-finding, as well as improvements to patient care through a newly renovated Infectious Disease Unit. Radio alerts, signage, and social media posts have all been used to urge the public to seek medical attention promptly if symptoms arise. But inside Freetown's Connaught Hospital, the country's largest public health facility where the first mpox patient was officially diagnosed, supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) are thinning, and overstretched staff are grappling with an overwhelming caseload. Dr Hafeez Barrie, the hospital's Surveillance Manager, said the stigma surrounding the virus – it spreads by close contact and has previously been associated with gay communities – means that patients are sometimes reluctant to seek medical care. 'Our work here is very important in ensuring that we detect cases, that we detect them on time, we isolate them, and we have them treated so we prevent the spread. But we are working in very difficult circumstances because we do not have the technology of many other countries,' Dr Barrie said. 'We are working in a resource-challenged country in terms of health facilities. We often have to improvise,' he said. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) recently completed renovations on the Infectious Disease Unit (IDU), now used to treat mpox patients. The building, which previously served as an isolation centre during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, sits just 50 meters from the main entrance of the hospital, where hundreds of general patients come and go daily for typical hospital care. 'We have a great number of people coming in, and they're looking to us for help and support. You have to be there for them,' said Cecilia Taylor-Williams, a nurse and public health superintendent. Ms Williams oversees the management of the IDU but also cares for mpox patients in the facility along with her small team of nurses. All of the patients here are considered severe cases and arrive in immense distress. 'So many of them come to us thinking they have chicken pox,' she said. 'They arrive here in so much pain, so much anxiety, and many are running fever.' In the IDU, patients require constant care – regular antiviral treatments, proper nutrition, clean water, and psychological support. Providing this level of care is especially challenging in Sierra Leone, where limited resources and fragile infrastructure make even basic healthcare delivery an uphill battle. 'I work almost 11 hours each day,' Ms Taylor-Williams explained, 'but I'm not forced to do it – this is my passion.' The team does everything they can to maintain security and prevent further infections – everyone who enters must don a disposable smock, gloves, and face mask. Medicines and other equipment are passed through a sliding-glass window that separates the patient's ward and Cecilia's office, where other nurses rest between shifts. While Ms Taylor-Williams' patients are some of the most severe cases, most people can recover from mpox without specialised medical intervention, with symptoms resolving in three to four weeks. The new variant of clade I mpox, called clade 1b, began spreading in central Africa in September 2023. A year later, more than 29,000 cases had been reported with over 800 fatalities, nearly all in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sierra Leone recorded its first case in January, just four months after the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). While infections are continuing to mount, Ms Taylor-Williams is optimistic that Sierra Leone can beat the outbreak. 'All of these folders represent people who are back living with their families,' she said, picking up a stack of documents. 'These are all my discharges.' 'I feel satisfied when I feel challenged, and I feel challenged when I receive these cases. But after seeing patients go through the process successfully and then being discharged, I feel very satisfied – and that has always been my goal since I started my nursing career: to serve humanity,' she said.
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Health workers in Sierra Leone see surge in mpox cases
Freetown: Sierra Leone is facing an increase in recorded mpox infections, with 177 new cases reported in recent days, a health ministry official told AFP. The west African country, which in January declared a public health emergency to combat mpox, has sent health teams to carry out screening operations in households of people suspected to be infected with the virus. Amanda Clemens, social mobilisation coordinator for the health ministry, said Saturday that health workers had recorded a total of 177 cases over the Friday-Saturday period. Sierra Leone has recorded 763 cases of mpox since January with six deaths and 282 recoveries, according to data from the National Public Health Agency published Saturday. Freetown, the capital, has the highest number of detected mpox cases since the health emergency was declared. As a result, the government has opened four treatment centres in the capital since February. "Misinformation and fear surrounding mpox continue to prevent some people from seeking medical assistance and some individuals were not tested early enough and may have unknowingly spread the disease before their diagnosis," said Sallu Lansana, part of the health ministry's vaccination team. The country started vaccinating frontline health care workers and high risk-individuals and children from age 12 in early April, after securing 61,300 doses from the World Health Organization (WHO) and development partners. "Over 1,000 people have been vaccinated with the majority being health workers and many of whom are women," said Desmond Maada Kangbai, who leads the health ministry's vaccination programme. Mpox is caused by a virus from the same family as smallpox, manifesting in a high fever and skin lesions, called vesicles. First identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970, the disease had generally been confined to a dozen African countries. But in 2022, it began to spread more widely, reaching developed countries where the virus had never previously circulated. The WHO declared its highest level of alert in 2024. A decade ago, Sierra Leone was one of the countries worst affected by an Ebola epidemic which between 2014 and 2016 killed about 4,000 people, including nearly seven percent of health workers.
