By Lemuella Tarawallie
The Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and partners such as UNICEF, GAVI, WHO, and Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have celebrated the arrival of the introduction of the first Mpox vaccine in Sierra Leone.
The vaccine, which is targeting 12-year-olds and above especially frontline health workers, will ensure that people in Sierra Leone are protected and prevented from further transmission of the disease.
During the celebration of the arrival of the first Mpox vaccine in Sierra Leone at the Freetown International Airport at Lungi the UNICEF Deputy Country Representative, Liv Elin Indreitin, stated that the arrival of the vaccine marked another important milestone in the fight against a life threatening disease which had re-emerged in Sierra Leone.
She noted that Sierra Leone was one of the first countries to report cases of Mpox but that by then it was called Monkey Pox in the 1970s, adding that UNICEF had procured and delivered 61,000 doses of vaccines with funding from GAVI and the Republic of Ireland with technical supports from Africa CDC and WHO .
The UNICEF Deputy Country Representative averred that the initiative of the first Mpox vaccine not only underscored UNICEF’s commitment to support the Government of Sierra Leone in protecting health workers and the public, but also demonstrated UNICEF’s readiness to provide the necessary supplies and logistics in Sierra Leone in the shortest possible time in emergency situation such as the Mpox.
Dr Austin Demby, in his keynote statement, said Sierra Leone had learnt its lesson from the 2014-2016 Ebola crisis and that such would never happen again as that crisis led to the establishment of the National Public Health Agency.
He encouraged Sierra Leoneans to go to government hospitals whenever they start experiencing signs of Mpox, such as pains, fever, and rash in their bodies. He assured Sierra Leoneans that “the vaccine is safe, effective, and free of charge”.
Dr Demby thanked partners such as GAVI, UNICEF, the Africa CDC, the Ireland Government and WHO for their contributions.
The Executive Director of the National Public Health Agency (NPHA), Professor Foday Sahr, stated that Sierra Leone had recorded 29 cases for this year. He noted that there were anticipated more cases yet he was optimistic that with collocation with the Ministry of Health and district surveillance Mpox search-identification units they could manage potential cases.
Dr George Ameh, the World Health Organisation representative, stated that the journey of receiving the vaccine began six weeks ago. He revealed that Sierra Leone was among the third country to receive such a vaccine as an additional tool. He assured that WHO would continue to support the Government of Sierra Leone in ensuring that the vaccine distribution reaches every corner of Sierra Leone.
The Executive Director of Health for All Coalition, Charles Mambu who represented Civil Society Organisations, pledged that CSOs were committed to monitor the vaccine distribution processes to ensure it reaches its targeted beneficiaries.