Sierra Leone has confirmed the first mpox case since the global health alert was heightened last year, according to the National Public Health Agency.
The patient, a 27-year-old man from the Western Area Rural district near Freetown, tested positive on January 10.
Health authorities are actively tracing contacts and investigating potential exposures to prevent further spread.
The patient is in isolation, and his contacts will be monitored for 21 days. Public awareness campaigns have been launched, and healthcare workers are receiving training and protective equipment.
Sierra Leone, still haunted by the devastating 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak that claimed 4,000 lives, is mobilizing quickly to curb the spread of this new threat.
Mpox, a viral disease related to smallpox, causes high fever and skin lesions. First identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970, it remained largely confined to African nations until its global spread in 2022. In 2024, the World Health Organization declared mpox a global health emergency.