Sierra Leone: Alarm over surge in Malaria cases in Pujehun District

By Kemo Cham

APA-Freetown (Sierra Leone)

The authorities in Sierra Leone’s southern Pujehun District have raised alarm over a sharp rise in Malaria cases and deaths.

Figures attributed to the district health office indicate that in the last six months alone - January to June – 64, 245 cases have been registered, with 22 deaths. All of the deaths were children under five years.

The statistics, obtained through the Pujehun District Council show that 33, 010 cases [14, 509 for adults and 18, 501 for under-five children] were recorded in the first quarter of the year – January to March. And in the second quarter – April to June – 32, 235 cases [14, 205 for adults and 18, 030 for under-fives] were recorded.

This, according to Mohamed Arphan Kabba, Deputy Chief Administrator at the Pujehun District Council, places Pujehun, alongside the northern district of Port Loko, as the district with the highest number of malaria cases in the year so far.

Sierra Leone: Marie Stopes launches free contraceptive service to tackle teenage pregnancy

APA-Freetown (Sierra Leone)

Marie Stopes, the international reproductive health services provider, has rolled out a monthlong campaign designed to provide free contraceptive services to girls as part of a crusade to contain one of the world's highest prevalence of teenage pregnancy.

The campaig launched on Tuesday in Freetown also entails free screening for cervical cancer, another worryingly growing medical condition in the country.

Dubbed Rain Season Koba-Klos, this initiative is aligned with the government's health targets, especially reproductive health.

The government's 'New Direction' development blueprint notes the rise in teenage pregnancy and its implication for maternal mortality and the development outcomes of the country.

Sierra Leone: Drug abuse accounts for 80% of institutionalised mental cases – expert

Sierra Leone: Drug abuse accounts for 80% of institutionalised mental cases – expert

By Kemo Cham

APA-Freetown (Sierra Leone)

Drug abuse is the leading cause of mental illness in Sierra Leone where it accounts for 80 percent of cases in the country’s mental health hospital, an expert has said.

Dr Edward Nahim, the country’s leading expert in mental health, said cannabis, heroin (locally called brown brown), and cocaine were the top drugs under abuse, especially among youths who constitutes majority of the mental health cases.

Dr Nahim, a retired practitioner, who serves as a consultant psychiatrist with the Ministry of Health, also cited a less talked about cause of mental, the China Green Tea. Called locally Attaya, the Green Tea is not illegal according to Sierra Leonean laws, unlike the others mentioned above. But Dr Nahim said the tea, which is

Sierra Leone: Sickle cell groups appeals for greater government attention

By Kemo Cham

APA-Freetown (Sierra Leone)

The Sierra Leone authorities should pay a little more attention to the sickle cell disease, an advocacy group representing sufferers has urged.

The Sickle Cell Association of Sierra Leone said Tuesday as part of the commemoration of the World Sickle Cell Day which falls on June 19 every year that sufferers of the condition were undergoing trouble accessing treatment due to high cost of medication and consultation fees. The association says there are at least 2000 people known to have the disease that affects the red blood cells.

Sickle cell, an inherited disease, is a group of blood disorders that cause red blood cells to become misshapen and break down. Its symptoms include severe pain and anaemia. The disease can be fatal when not properly managed.

The World Sickle Cell Day is a

Sierra Leone declares measles outbreak

By Kemo Cham

APA-Freetown - The Sierra Leone government says it has deployed health officials in two districts in its northern flank where it has declared an outbreak of measles.

The Ministry of Health disclosed Tuesday that a total of 24 cases have been recorded since June 14 in the districts of Koinadugu and Falaba. The region is close to the border with neighboring Guinea where officials say the index case is suspected to have originated.

The area in Guinea is currently under a measles outbreak.

“The disease has quickly spread to unvaccinated children in Sierra Leone,” said Dr Alfred J Moisa, deputy director for Health Security and Emergencies at the Public Health Emergency Operations Center of the Ministry of Health.

“All these cases and the response are currently being managed by the Koinadugu District Health Management Team who are doing a fantastic job at that end,” he added.

Dr Moisa assured that the Health