Freetown, Sierra Leone – Two cases of Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, have been confirmed in Sierra Leone, according to the Ministry of Health. The cases, involving individuals with no known recent contact with infected animals or sick individuals, are raising alarms about the potential for further spread in a region already grappling with significant health challenges.

Related:
Double Blow to Africa: Mpox and Marburg Virus Overwhelm Health Systems in the Heart of the Continent

While one patient had recent travel to the airport town of Lungi, this limited travel suggests the virus may be spreading through other means within the community, underscoring the challenges in containing the disease. Both patients are currently receiving treatment in a hospital in the capital, Freetown.

The re-emergence of mpox in Sierra Leone, a nation still recovering from the devastating 2014 Ebola outbreak, highlights the persistent vulnerabilities of public health systems in the Global South. The Ebola epidemic, which disproportionately impacted West Africa, claimed nearly 4,000 lives in Sierra Leone alone and resulted in a staggering 7% loss of the country’s healthcare workforce.

This historical context underscores the fragility of the health infrastructure and the potential for this new outbreak to overwhelm existing resources.

Mpox, first identified in 1958, was historically associated with contact with infected animals, primarily in Central and West Africa. However, the virus demonstrated a new mode of transmission in 2022, with confirmed sexual transmission triggering outbreaks in over 70 countries.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been particularly hard-hit, accounting for the vast majority of the 43,000 suspected cases and 1,000 deaths in Africa this year. This global spread raises urgent questions about the systemic inequalities that leave the Global South more vulnerable to emerging infectious diseases.

The lack of robust healthcare systems, coupled with the historical exploitation of resources in many African nations, often exacerbated by colonial legacies, leaves countries like Sierra Leone at a disadvantage when confronted with infectious disease outbreaks. It’s clear that a global approach to public health is needed, not only to contain the spread of mpox and other emerging threats but to challenge the systemic factors that contribute to these health disparities.

This involves debt relief for countries in the Global South, investment in public health infrastructure, fair distribution of resources and medicines, and an end to exploitative economic relations that put profits over people.

The situation in Sierra Leone serves as a stark reminder of the global need for genuine solidarity and equitable access to healthcare, to ensure that all communities, regardless of location or economic status, can be protected from the scourge of infectious diseases.

The focus should be on preventing further suffering and death through coordinated global action, rather than on blaming countries in the Global South for outbreaks rooted in systemic inequalities.

EN ESTA NOTA: