Sierra Leone has launched a nationwide rollout of the single-dose Ebola vaccine, marking the first such campaign in West Africa since the deadly 2014 outbreak that killed thousands.
The 2014 Ebola epidemic, the deadliest in history, primarily affected West Africa, with Sierra Leone suffering nearly 4,000 deaths out of over 11,000 globally. The country also lost 7% of its healthcare workforce to the virus.
Cynthia Reffell, a health worker, explained that those most exposed to the disease, such as healthcare workers, police, military officers, and traditional healers, will be prioritized in the vaccination campaign.
“We are targeting healthcare workers and front-line workers to prevent the spread,” Reffell said.
The campaign, a collaboration between the Sierra Leone government, Gavi, the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF, aims to vaccinate 20,000 frontline workers. Traditional healers have also been enlisted to help encourage community participation.
In 2014, no approved Ebola vaccine existed, and the outbreak, which began in Guinea, spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia, causing widespread devastation. Although no new cases have been reported in Guinea for three years, officials remain cautious about ongoing risks in endemic regions.