Department of Public Health

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://dspace.njala.edu.sl/handle/20.500.144402/167

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Author: search.filters.author.Kangbai, Jia BaingaHas files: Yes

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    Public health system in post-pandemic Sierra Leone: a scoping review
    (BioMed Central, 2024-12-21) Kangbai, Jia Bainga
    BACKGROUND: Since the outbreak of the novel SARS-CoV-2 that caused COVID-19 in 2019, the government of Sierra Leone implemented immediate preventive measures to stop the disease from entering the country. On March 24, 2020, the country declared a state of emergency in response to the emerging global COVID-19 pandemic, even though no confirmed cases had been reported at that time. However, Sierra Leone recorded its first COVID-19 case later in March 2020. While there have been few scoping reviews to date, these primarily focuses on experiences from Western countries or expatriates. The main purpose of this scoping review is to document the various COVID-19 pandemic preparedness measures undertaken by the Sierra Leone health system, assess the impacts of the pandemic on health systems, and document the various responses of health systems implemented across different settings from a home-based perspective. METHODS: We searched peer-reviewed papers and articles under review or submitted for publication in Sierra Leone and the COVID-19 pandemic found in the Web of Science, Scopus, Pubmed, Google Scholar, MedRxiv, and Research Square databases. In addition, we examined gray literature, including Sierra Leone government reports and academic unpublished works on Sierra Leone's COVID-19 situation. Both quantitative and qualitative studies were analyzed, focusing on the Sierra Leone health system or on the essential health services provided by the Sierra Leone health system during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Few (48.7%) studies were multi-country studies (i.e., involving different countries and Sierra Leone). The majority (83.7%) were original articles published either in peer-reviewed journals or were deposited in preprint repositories; 10.9% were editorials, commentaries, or news reports; 1 (2.7%) was a working paper; and 1 (2.7%) was personal correspondence. CONCLUSION: Sierra Leone's health system was partially prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to its previous experience in managing the Ebola virus disease outbreaks from 2013 to 2016. However, the pandemic had significant impact on other health services. Although the country's response to the pandemic was swift, it fell below average in addressing the scale of the challenges posed by the crisis.
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    Mpox in Africa: What we know and what is still lacking
    (Public Library of Science, 2025-06-12) Kangbai, Jia Bainga
    Emerging as a major global health threat, Mpox previously known as Monkeypox has drawn attention due to a worrying surge in cases. This zoonotic disease, native to Central and West Africa, is marked by fever, rash, and lymphadenopathy and is primarily spread through direct contact with infected animals or people and indirectly through contaminated objects. Recent studies have indicated possible sexual transmission, underscoring how human behavior and environmental changes are increasing its prevalence, even though human-to-human transmission is less efficient than that of smallpox. Mpox is endemic in several African countries, and currently, the infection has spread in non-endemic countries, including Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. Democratic Republic of Congo is the epicenter of the current Mpox outbreak. From January 1, 2022, to August 6, 2024, sixteen African countries reported Mpox outbreak. Several factors, including population immunity deficiencies and changes to the environment and ecology, have led to the widespread of Mpox in Africa. Challenges such as the fragile healthcare system, limited vaccine availability and access, weak surveillance, and low public awareness poses difficulty in containing the infection in affected countries. Given the potential of Mpox to disrupt several sectors including health systems, which may ultimately reverse progress in achieving the sustainable development goals by 2030. It is imperative for countries, both within and outside Africa, to extend financial aid and human resources to combat the infection effectively.
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    Generation Z and the changing epidemiology of the African Mpox outbreak
    (Springer Nature, 2025-08-14) Kangbai, Jia Bainga
    Introduction Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) has re-emerged as a major global public health threat. The Mpox virus, which was previously confined to remote rural settlements, especially in Africa, has been spreading in urban populations. Sierra Leone became the latest country to confirm an Mpox outbreak on January 10, 2025. Since the global Mpox outbreak started in May 2022, over 142,151 laboratory-confirmed cases and 328 deaths have been reported from 133 countries as of May 2025. Africa alone accounted for most of the confirmed cases and deaths. Epidemiology and clade mutation of Mpox Mpox epidemiology has evolved, with two distinct viral clades: clade 1 (Central African) and clade 2 (West African). Both clades exhibit different virulence, transmissibility, and geographic spread. Recently, there has been a notable shift in Mpox epidemiology and transmission dynamics. Specifically, there has been an increase in the number of Mpox cases among commercial sex workers and immunocompromised people. Sexual transmission of Mpox Sexual transmission of Mpox, particularly among Generation Z individuals born between the early 1997 and 2012 poses additional challenges, exacerbating stigma and delaying treatment. Conclusion Children under 15 years have become increasingly affected, accounting for 75% of cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Effective Mpox containment requires heightened surveillance, cross-border collaboration, improved vaccination strategies, and education to address stigma and misclassification. The evolving epidemiology of Mpox underscores the need for robust public health responses to mitigate its global impact.
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    Clinical and epidemiological characteristics among probable and confirmed patients with mpox in Sierra Leone reported from January to May 2025
    (2025-06-01) Kangbai, Jia Bainga
    We analyzed available mpox cases reports in Sierra Leone from January to June 2025 following a historic increase in mpox cases across multiple urban and rural regions in the country. Here, we assessed demographic and clinical data from 187 case reports. Mpox case reports in this study were primarily from Bo (86/187; 46.0%) and Freetown (48/124; 25.7%). Most case reports were from male patients (101/187; 54.0%) as compared to females (86/187; 46.0%), with an overall median age of 26 years (IQR 22-34). The median age was higher among males (30 years; IQR 25-39) then females (24 years; IQR 21-27). Rash, fever, headache, lesions, and generalized pain were reported for all patients, where data was reported. Lymphadenopathy, muscle pain, sore throat, and cough were reported less commonly. Age- and sex-specific interventions, as well as community engagement that includes historically stigmatized groups are critical for mpox containment and mitigation measures in Sierra Leone.