A dramatic surge in Mpox cases is making work even tougher for health staff in Sierra Leone and Liberia, according to CARE. Since January 2025, more than 3,900 infections and 20 deaths provoked by Mpox were recorded in Sierra Leone, while in Liberia over 870 suspected cases were reported. Many health workers in those countries lack sufficient vaccine protection as global supplies run short.
Care teams and public health agencies say staff are stretched and at risk.
“Health workers are stretched thin and are at-risk of contracting the virus,” said Sylvester Epiagolo, CARE’s Health Programs Director in Sierra Leone. He called for more vaccines and better support for those on the front lines.
Mpox spreads through close contact, touching infected items, or animal contact. The current outbreak is driven by a new virus strain. It comes as budgets and disease tracking systems face new cuts. According to Care, women and girls may be more exposed, especially when caring for family members who fall ill.
Sierra Leone has received about 78,300 vaccine (8.8 million population) doses and Liberia just 10,800 (5.7 million population), focusing on high-risk groups like health staff and those with weak immune systems.
Mpox is a viral illness, characterized by distinctive rash and flu-like symptoms. The virus is transmitted between animals and humans, or from person to person. Since 2022, a global Mpox outbreak has spread to 122 countries, reaching more than 100,000 cases in places that rarely saw the disease before.
