Sierra Leone: Packaged water and the unanswered health concerns

By Kemo Cham
It's April, one of three months in the dry season dreaded the most in Sierra Leone. Accessing water for domestic use is the most difficult in this time of the year.
For most part of Freetown, like Malama in the west end of the capital, people mostly rely on water wells. This is either because they have no access to pipe-borne water or, even when they do, the taps are seldom functional. Nevertheless, at this time most of the wells are dry.
Consequently, safe drinking water has become a luxury for most of the inhabitants of the city of population of over 1million.
This deficit however presents an opportunity for the private sector - a booming water packaging business. They are packaged in sachets, plastic bottles, and water dispensers, which are mostly used in office settings. The most popular is the sachet water, which is also the subject of a major public health concern.

Nearly one billion people in Africa to be protected against Yellow fever by 2026

10 APRIL 2018 | ABUJA, NIGERIA - Nearly one billion people will be vaccinated against yellow fever in 27 high-risk African countries by 2026 with support from WHO, Gavi – the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF and more than 50 health partners.

The commitment is part of the Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) in Africa strategy, which was launched by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole, Nigeria’s Minister of Health and partners at a regional meeting in Abuja, Nigeria on Tuesday (10 April).

"The world is facing an increased risk of Yellow fever outbreaks and Africa is particularly vulnerable," said Dr Tedros. "With one injection we can protect a person for life against this dangerous pathogen. This unprecedented commitment by countries will ensure that by 2026 Africa is free of Yellow fever epidemics."

WHO and UNICEF issue new guidance to promote breastfeeding in health facilities globally

 

11 APRIL 2018 | GENEVA - WHO and UNICEF today issued new ten-step guidance to increase support for breastfeeding in health facilities that provide maternity and newborn services. Breastfeeding all babies for the first 2 years would save the lives of more than 820 000 children under age 5 annually.

The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding underpin the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative, which both organizations launched in 1991. The practical guidance encourages new mothers to breastfeed and informs health workers how best to support breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is vital to a child’s lifelong health, and reduces costs for health facilities, families, and governments. Breastfeeding within the first hour of birth protects newborn babies from infections and saves lives. Infants are at greater risk of death due to diarrhoea and other infections when they are only partially breastfed or not breastfed at all. Breastfeeding also improves IQ, school readiness and attendance, and is associated with higher income in adult life. It also reduces the risk of breast cancer in the mother.

Sierra Leone: Authorities call for investment in tackling Malaria

By Kemo Cham

APA-Freetown (Sierra Leone) Sierra Leone’s Health Ministry officials have called for increased investment to tackle Malaria which ranks as the largest single killer disease in the country.

On World Malaria Day, officials of the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) said more investment is needed to boost the country’s Malaria response strategy to sustain gains made over the years and prevent a resurgence of cases.

Malaria, a life-threatening disease, is caused by a parasite which is transmitted through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. The disease is preventable and curable, once quickly treated.

Sierra Leone ‘vigilant’ over Lassa Fever – official

By Kemo Cham

APA-Freetown (Sierra Leone) Sierra Leone is vigilantly monitoring development around Lassa Fever, the viral hemorrhagic disease that is currently ravaging Nigeria, an official has said.

Sierra Leone’s eastern region, where the Lassa Fever Virus (LFV) is believed to have been first discovered, is endemic to the disease.

As of the last three months, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) has recorded eight cases this year.

Harold Thomas, Communications Pilar Lead, Public Health National Emergency Operations Center (PHNEOC) at the MoHs, said even though part of the country is endemic to the virus, it is yet to record cases at epidemic levels. He told APA that the Ministry of Health however remains vigilant regardless, and that it is prepared both in terms of the ability to detect, treat and prevent the spread of the virus.

Sierra Leone to accelerate anti-tobacco control measures

By Kemo Cham

APA-Freetown (Sierra Leone) Sierra Leone is set to accelerate its anti-tobacco control efforts with the help of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners, an official said on Wednesday.

Dr Alie Wurie, Director of Noncommunicable Diseases, said the Health Ministry was poised to make tobacco control a national priority, through prevention, legislation and education of the public on tobacco’s health dangers and costs. He made the pronouncement in the context of a new WHO initiative designed to help countries fast track implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) treaty.

Sierra Leone is among 15 Low and Middle Income countries selected to benefit from the UK-funded FCTC 2030 project which seeks to reduce tobacco consumption which is associated with several life threatening diseases, including cancer, lung and heart diseases. Tobacco is also characterized as one of the world’s leading causes of premature death, killing half of all long-term smokers from many different noncommunicable diseases.

Sierra Leone places temporary ban on FGM ahead of elections

By Kemo Cham

The Sierra Leone government has announced a temporary ban on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) until after next month’s general elections.

The government said Monday the move was meant to prevent candidates from using the controversial practice to buy votes by paying funding mass initiation ceremonies.

FGM, which is banned by the United Nations, is widely practiced in Sierra Leone which the government has refused to prohibit it.

Sierra Leone: Pro-FGM voices resurge despite UN ban

By Kemo Cham

On the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), an influential voice of in the women’s secret society in Sierra Leone has threatened to disown an agreement with the government which seeks to discourage underage initiation.

In Sierra Leone FGM is practiced alongside the Bondo Society, which encompasses cultural, traditional and religious aspects of the country’s various ethnic groups. This society is headed by elderly women called Sowies.

FGM is banned by the United Nations General Assembly which is encouraging its member countries to put a stop to the practice. In Sierra Leone, because of its cultural significance, the government has made it clear it won’t ban it.

Sierra Leone bans three cigarette brands over tax evasion

By Kemo Cham

Sierra Leone’s National Revenue Authority (NRA) has slammed a ban on three brands of popular cigarettes which are believed to have been smuggled into the country to avoid a recently imposed excise tax, an official said Friday.

Shopkeepers and hawkers have been ordered to stop selling Marlborough, Bond Street, and Empire cigarettes or face confiscation and criminal charges that could lead to imprisonment, said Ibrahim Sorie Koroma, Commissioner of Domestic Tax at the NRA.

The government, as part of the 2017 Finance Act, introduced a 30 percent Excise Tax on sale of cigarettes, which officials say is intended to

Sierra Leone: Political parties urged to prioritise healthcare

By Kemo Cham

Out of every five children in Sierra Leone, one is likely to die before celebrating their fifth birthday, according to a UNICEF report.

This reality is at the center of the phenomenon known as infant mortality, one of the major health conundrums confronting Sierra Leone which is ranked among the top five countries globally with the highest rates of Infant Mortality at 114 deaths per every 1000 live births.

But this is just one side of a twin health problem for Sierra Leone; the other half is maternal mortality – that’s the number of women dying due to pregnancy related causes. It tops world ranking in this, with 1, 165 deaths per every 100, 000 live births.

Sierra Leone: First heart pacemaker surgery successful – official

By Kemo Cham

Health authorities in Sierra Leone have described as successful the first major heart surgery conducted in the country.

Nine patients benefitted from a pro bono service involving the implantation of pacemakers in their hearts, thanks to two US-based charities – ‘Pace4Life’ and the ‘My Heart, Your Heart’, a project of the University of Michigan. The exercise which was conducted between Monday and Tuesday at a Freetown-based private hospital, Choitram, was done in collaboration with a local Sierra Leonean cardiologist, Dr James Russel. The surgeons were flown from the US and UK.

The beneficiary Patients were drawn from the country’s main referral hospital, Connaught and Choitram Hospital, which is an Indian-run facility.

A pacemaker is a small electrical devise that helps the heart to contract in the event a patient has heart block or if the main electrical center of their heart is not providing proper electrical signal to get it beat normal.

Sierra Leone government urged to prioritise epilepsy

By Kemo Cham

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) should pay more attention to Epilepsy given its increasingly high prevalence in Sierra Leone, an association representing suffers has said.

The Epilepsy Association of Sierra Leone said Monday there is a need for the ministry to take charge of provision of medication and other services that ensure sufferers get reliable treatment and live comfortable lives. The call was made as the country joined the rest of the world to commemorate the International Epilepsy Day.

The day set aside by organisations representing epilepsy sufferers falls on the second Monday of every February. This year it falls on February 12.

In Sierra Leone, the Epilepsy Association say there are at least 5000 people suffering from the brain condition which leads seizure. Experts say it is caused by various factors, usually at young age, especially during child birth. If not detected early, the condition eventually develops at some point in one’s life.