And. . . yet and still -- it reminds us that -- with USAID still sidelined, the outbreak will last longer, and be more lethal. . . as a direct consequence, than if we were there, shoulder to shoulder with the people in Freetown. Here's the story:
. . .In late March, 61,300 eagerly-awaited mpox vaccines began to roll out in Sierra Leone in a vaccine drive that would prioritise health workers and contacts of mpox patients, and offer a dose of protection to the country’s most exposed.
The viral infection has killed three and sickened more than 477 since Sierra Leone’s mpox emergency was declared in January. The 26-bed mpox ward at 34 Military Hospital, a cutting-edge infectious disease facility on Freetown’s Wilberforce Military Base with a record of successfully tackling hard-hitters like Ebola, COVID-19 and Lassa Fever, has been operating at capacity for weeks.
For the nurses and doctors staffing the unit, that has meant working under the constant risk of infection. But the arrival of the vaccines – 58,300 of which were sent by Gavi, with the remainder donated by the Republic of Ireland – brought a measure of relief. On the hospital’s campus one recent morning, more than 100 health workers dressed in nurse’s scrubs and military uniforms lined up to receive the jab. . . .
Now, the 34 Military Hospital is the focal point for testing and treating Sierra Leone’s mounting tally of mpox patients. Thirty-eight of them have so far recovered and been released, but with the epidemic still growing, and beds on the mpox ward limited in number, more and more patients have needed to be passed on to the newly-established Police and Jui treatment centres. . . .
Now you know -- with much more ahead, yet this afternoon -- on the various "No human is illegal" fronts -- in federal courtrooms dotting the nation.
नमस्ते
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