Sierra Leone “ahead of the game” in HIV fight – UNAIDS country boss

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Sierra Leone stands a great chance to end the transmission of the HIV virus ahead of the UN targeted date of 2030, the country director of UNAIDS has said.

Dr Michael Frank Gboun said that all that’s needed for the country to achieve its goal is for every stakeholder to be fully involved in efforts to get people to know their status and those found positive go for treatment.

“Ending HIV/AIDS is possible. It’s not like we can’t have new infections…the point is to ensure prevention of transmission through treatment,” he said.

Dr Gboun was speaking in an interview with Politico in the context of the high level UN summit on the global AIDS pandemic. The New York meeting held between June 6 and 10 was designed to focus attention on the importance of accelerating the response to HIV over the next five years and set the world on course to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UN Member States were also to adopt a Political Declaration of Commitment on Ending AIDS.

Chinese-funded Zika testing lab unveiled in Sierra Leone

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Sierra Leone’s preparedness for a Zika virus outbreak has been boosted by the Chinese government with the establishment of the only lab in the country with the capability to test for the virus.

The National Reference Laboratory for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers and National Training Center for Viral Detection and Biosafety, housed within the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biosafety Laboratory in Freetown, is just of one several health interventions announced by the Chinese government for Sierra Leone recently.

Chinese ambassador Zhao Yanbo and Health and Sanitation Minister Dr Abubakarr Fofanah, officially unveiled a plaque at the entrance of the lab situated at the China-Sierra Leone Friendship Hospital in Jui, Western Rural District, last week.

Dr. Gao Fu, Deputy Director-General of China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was also in attendance.

2016 Malaria indicator survey begins

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The Ministry of Health and partners have kick-started the 2016 national Malaria Indicator Survey (MIS).

The exercise which commenced on Monday involves about 200 health workers who are moving from house to house collecting data relating to the deadly malaria disease.

MIS is designed to measure the coverage of the core malaria control interventions which will help the country assesses its implementation strategies. The household survey, conducted every two years, is meant to gauge progress on outcomes and impact by measuring status of key malaria indicators. It will crucially provide much needed data for the Ministry of Health and Sanitation which is very critical for programming to improve on the reduction and control of the disease.

Malaria is one of the biggest public health challenges facing Sierra Leone, ranking as the biggest killer disease among children under five.

World Health Assembly closes with three key resolutions

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The 2016 World Health Assembly (WHA) ended on Wednesday with the passing of three new resolutions on air pollution, epilepsy, and the assembly’s future engagement with non-state actors.

Delegates at the end of the three days global meeting of health experts and government officials adopted a resolution to address the health impacts of air pollution, described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the world’s largest single environmental health risk. They also agreed to strengthen ongoing efforts to provide care for people suffering from epilepsy, and set in motion work on the framework of dealing with non-state actors.

The WHA is the decision-making body of WHO, which is the United Nations agency responsible for coordinating global health responses. The Assembly, which is convened annually in Geneva, Switzerland, determines the policies of the WHO, appoints its Director-General, supervises its financial policies, and reviews and approve its proposed programme budget. It is attended by

Make smoking less attractive – WHO urges

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The World Health Organization regional office for Africa has called on member countries to expand anti-tobacco policies with particular emphasis on packaging and labeling.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, called for consideration of a total ban on advertisement of tobacco products. In a statement marking this year’s World No Tobacco Day, she also said countries were obliged to take all these in line with the UN convention on tobacco control – FCTC.

“Countries should expand policies on packaging and labelling to include pictorial warnings. They should consider totally banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, in line with their obligations to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), DrMoeti said.

“The adoption of a multi-sectoral approach to tobacco control will be critical,” he added.

World No Tobacco Day is commemorated every year on May 31. WHO and partners use the day to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco consumption.

Ebola response: Digital payment saved Sierra Leone billions

By Kemo Cham

[First published by www.politicosl.com] The international community’s intervention in the payment of Ebola response workers saved Sierra Leone US$10M (Le60 billion), a new United Nations report has revealed.

The report released Wednesday said lives were saved because Ebola response workers got paid on time which prevented recurrent strike actions that had been caused by confusion created by delay in their payment. By using digital payments to pay Ebola response workers, Sierra Leone massively cut payment times, avoiding large-scale strikes and ensuring a stable workforce to defeat Ebola, the report authors said, adding that the Sierra Leonean experience showed the critical importance of preparing early for digital payments before crises hit.

Sierra Leone was one of three countries hardest hit by the 2014-2016 deadly epidemic which claimed over 11, 000 lives in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

At some point of the epidemic, response was chaotic