Publications by authors named "Mukeh Fahnbulleh"
Background: In November 2019, an outbreak of Lassa Fever occurred among health workers in a non-endemic district in Sierra Leone. The outbreak resulted in five cases, including two that were exported to the Netherlands. The outbreak tested multiple technical capacities in the International Health Regulations (2005) in a real-life setting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: On November 20, 2019, the Sierra Leone International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point was notified of an exported case of Lassa fever in The Netherlands, by a Dutch doctor who previously practiced in a rural hospital in Sierra Leone. This report describes the extent of the outbreak, possible sources of infection, and the outbreak response measures taken.
Methods: Response measures implemented to control the outbreak included coordination across multiple countries and cities, outbreak investigation, active case finding, contact tracing and monitoring, laboratory investigation, and isolation and treatment of cases.
Article Synopsis
- The 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak highlighted the weaknesses in health systems and coordination among Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, prompting these nations to commit to improving their health security.
- In response, an interministerial meeting in November 2016 led to the establishment of a Regional Strategic Roadmap focused on the One Health approach to tackle health threats.
- The USAID-funded Preparedness & Response (P&R) project has been instrumental in helping these countries create multisectoral coordinating mechanisms between June 2016 and January 2019, enhancing their overall health security interventions.