Sewa News Stream

The monkeypox (Mpox) outbreak in Sierra Leone has expanded over the past six weeks, with cases reportedly rising by over 71% in just one week.  According to a leader from the Africa Centers for Disease Control's Mpox Incident Management Support Team, there are indications that Sierra Leone accounts for half of Africa's confirmed Mpox cases.  However, Mpox is more than just numbers; it is a human story that Sierra Leoneans are honoring through heartfelt social media tributes . Among the deceased is Akmed Sidi Kamara, a mechanical engineer who became an entertainment business owner known as "Black Coffee" to his fans.  After earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Fourah Bay College, Kamara pursued a career as a social media influencer, youth activist, and humanitarian, eventually becoming the CEO of Black Coffee House of Entertainment.  In his final days while battling Mpox, Kamara bravely shared his experience with the public, advocating for awaren...

Jason Kindrachuk, PhD, an associate professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Manitoba, has been discussing emerging viruses and Ebola on social media. This weekend, he shared his insights with over 20,000 followers regarding the Mpox outbreak in Sierra Leone, emphasizing the urgent need for vaccines as the situation worsens. Mpox is a dreadful and preventable disease, and the call for vaccines is critical as cases continue to rise.  Deutsche Welle Africa has reported that Sierra Leone has confirmed 3,011 Mpox cases and 14 deaths since the beginning of 2025, reflecting a 50% increase in just 10 days. The outbreak now spans all regions of the country. In response, authorities have converted a police training center in Freetown into a 400-bed treatment facility. Mpox, a viral disease related to smallpox, has been spreading increasingly in Africa since 2022, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency in 2024. Other African countrie...

"Fund the emergency response for Ebola," urges one headline last week. In the op-ed, Koma Gandy Fischbein, a former U.S. Navy officer now a fellow with the Truman National Security Project, made the case why Congress should provide an "additional $6.18 billion in emergency funding to support domestic preparedness and international efforts to combat Ebola. Writing for The Hill newspaper’s Congress Blog, a forum for American lawmakers and policy professionals, Fischbein argued that the United States has the opportunity to lead the way, and support the effort to contain and stop the ugly march of Ebola at its source. “Though there are signs of progress in the most affected countries, continued coordination and support from the international community is required to sustain this progress, transfer knowledge, and support health care infrastructure put in place to reverse the progress of this disease," Fischbein wrote, adding, “Congress must set aside partisan pol...

Since the Ebola epidemic exploded into Sierra Leone in May 2014, the disease has claimed more than 1,250 lives and the virus continues to outpace efforts to contain it. In October, Save the Children warned that a rate of five new Ebola cases an hour in Sierra Leone means healthcare demands are far outstripping supply. According to the World Health Organization, 24 percent of the total number of 6,000 Ebola cases in Sierra Leone have been reported in the past three weeks. Although doctors and nurses in Sierra Leone are laboring to combat the Ebola outbreak, which is putting enormous strain on the limited healthcare facilities, and emergency medicine volunteers have flown in from various countries to help in the fight, Sierra Leone remains a country with widespread transmission. In response, a new medical organization plans to tap Sierra Leonean born doctors, nurses, and public health professionals around the world to fill the gap. For more information on the US-Sierra Leone Healt...