West Africa: As Mpox cases surge, health workers struggle to keep up
June 12, 2025
The surge in mpox cases in Sierra Leone and Liberia is straining fragile health systems and placing frontline workers at critical risk amid global vaccine shortages. With Sierra Leone reporting over 3,900 infections and Liberia 870 suspected cases, health workers are stretched thin and often unprotected. CARE and national public health agencies are implementing infection control and risk communication, but limited vaccine access threatens containment. This outbreak, driven by a new strain, underscores the urgent need for sustained investment in vaccines and community engagement. Delayed action risks deeper transmission across Africa and beyond—time and resources are running out.
A sharp resurgence of mpox in Sierra Leone and Liberia is pushing frontline health systems to the brink. Since January 2025, Sierra Leone has recorded over 3,900 confirmed cases and 20 deaths, while Liberia is grappling with more than 870 suspected cases across 25 districts. With mpox vaccine supplies perilously low and global funding for public health receding, frontline health workers are being asked to manage a fast-evolving outbreak without the tools they need to stay safe.
CARE, in partnership with national health authorities, is scaling up infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, promoting hand hygiene, disseminating educational materials, and coordinating risk communication campaigns in both countries. Yet the scale of the challenge demands much more. Sierra Leone has secured 78,300 vaccine doses and Liberia 10,800—far short of what is needed to protect frontline workers, immunocompromised individuals, and close contacts of confirmed cases. Without wider access to vaccines, the outbreak could become unmanageable.
Driven by a new strain, this is the most alarming resurgence since the 2022 global mpox outbreak. The continued spread of the virus through close contact, including within family caregiving settings, has disproportionately affected women and girls and raised new concerns about the virus’s potential to mutate and spread beyond endemic regions. The CDC now reports over 100,000 mpox cases globally across 122 countries.
As CARE’s health director in Sierra Leone, Sylvester Epiagolo, aptly warned, “We know how to contain it... But we’re running out of time and resources.” The international community must urgently invest in vaccine access, frontline protection, and community-based surveillance. Without swift intervention, the current crisis may mirror past failures in epidemic response, with preventable loss of life and global consequences. Containment is still possible—but only if we act now.