I n May 2016, an informal survey conducted among Health Promotion Partners indicates that existing Health Promotion activities covered a full gamut of health areas, including child health and other inter-ventions, mostly focusing on Maternal Issues . Specifically, most activities focus on Antenatal Care (ANC), Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Cholera, and/or diarrhea. While Mass Media , Inter-personal Communication Methodologies and Com-munity Mobilization Interventions were widely uti-lized as communication channels . However, some sated that , They utilized advocacy, community sur-veillance and new technologies for Health Commu-nication , such as mobile phones and Short Message Service (SMS) technologies. Further conclusions

revealed that Mass Media (eg radio, television and mo-bile programmes are often the products of a single sta-tion or implementing organization. As a result, the MoHS has committed itself to collaborate and support key Mass Medeia Programmes to create impact. With that, I would like to thank the Editorial Team for put-ting together the 3rd Edition of the HED News Letter, as it is one of those numerous Mass Media Tools we utilize to not only educate, but also to ensure health seeking be-haviours for disease prevention , thereby strengthening people to take action for there health through advo-cacy and participatory models like community engagement, community dialogue to name but few.

ON THIS EDITION P

HEALTHY MINISTRY ENGAGES

BOMBALI STAKEHOLDERS ON

BOMBALI VIRUS

2

BOMBALI VIRUS NOT EBOLA

VIRUS DISEASE

3

HEALTH MINISTRY CONFIRMS

MEASLES OUTBREAK 4

Health Minister on New Method

of Chaining Mental Health Pa-

tients

5

1.65 MILLION DEATHS LINKED

TO HIGH SALT INTAKE EACH

YEAR

6

DEADELY MARGBURG VIRUS

DISCOVERED IN SIERRA/LEONE

7

WEST AFRICA’S FIRST MES-

SAGE GUIDE ON ZOONOTIC

DISEASES

8

UNDER FIVE MORTALITY RE-

DUCES– UNICEF Rep.

10

Volume 3 ISSUE 3 1st July - 31st De-

cember

Directorate of Primary Health Care Newsletter

Health Education Division (HED)

Health Promotion Digest

Clean Hands - A Recipe For Health

M

o

H

S

H

E

D

Statement from HED Manager

HED Manager , LA. Conteh

EARLY TREATMENT FOR MALARIA SAVES LIVES

Health Ministry Engages Bombali Stakeholders on Bombali Virus

The Ministry of Health and

Sanitation through its Social Mobili-zation/Health Education Unit of the Bombali District Health Manage-ment Team on Friday August 3rd engaged 2018 engaged stakeholders of Bombali District at the Wosum Hotel Conference Hall in Makeni. The main purpose of the meeting was to orientate stakeholders of the district on the research findings of the new Bombali Virus; thereby setting the stage for further orienta-

tion and education of community people by stakeholders of the new Bombali Virus.

In his opening statement, Director

at the Directorate of Health Security

and Emergencies, Rev. Dr. Thomas

T. Samba noted that they started a

journey and that the journey will

not end without engaging district

stakeholders, just as they were

engaged in the beginning of the

whole research project.

He reiterated that, in 2016 the Min-

istry of Health and Sanitation to-

gether with other partners engaged

them on a research project and that

project has produced a new discov-

ery of which emanated in their dis-

trict and they will not go further

without telling them the outcome of

the said research.

He thanked stakeholders and stated

that they would not have now suc-

ceeded without the support of the

stakeholders. He continued that

there are many stages in the medi-

cal field to ensure good health, cit-

ing that research is part of Public

Health because it is all geared to

the prevention of a specific disease

(s) and he added that the research

is yet to ascertain as to whether the

identified Bombali Virus can cause

disease/illness in humans. He

further noted that the biggest

domain in Public Health is the

Environment, which consists of

both the human population and

Page 2 Health Promotion Digest

Dr. Amadu Tejan Jalloh, Deputy Di-rector Live Stock and Veterinary of-ficer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security confirmed that they are working with the Minis-try of Health and Sanitation on One Health Issues of which he stated is not

a new phenomenon.

Dr. Jalloh cited that they have always worked together since the period of the Avian Influenza. He however, cited capacity strengthening of staff of both ministries and appealed for further corporation on the area of joint sur-veillance, Social Mobilization and la-boratory management as the Ministry of Health is well equipped in those

areas..

Dr. Jalloh advised stakeholders to at all time desist from eating sick/dead animals as most of these animals may have died from illnesses that can only be identified by a professional. He added that eating these dead/sick animals put them and their families at risk, not to talk of the whole country. The stakeholders meeting was followed by community engagements in the research targeted areas of Robuya, Rosanta and Yelisanda.

The meeting drew participants from every corner of Bombali District, rang-ing from Chiefs, Head Men, Religious Leaders, Traditional Healers, Counci-lors, Teachers, Health Workers, Civil Society, NGOs, representatives from the University of Makeni, the media to name but a few.

reiterated that majority of these ani-

mals we see and play around with

have in them diseases that can

be identified through a scientific re-

search.

He admonished stakeholders that the research did not identify a disease, but a virus which up till now, they have not been able to prove as to whether it can cause illness in the human population. Dr. Samba said the effort is to ensure early detection or surveillance and prevention for planning and further research work. District Medical Of-ficer, Dr. Brima Osaio Kamara in his statement referenced that when Ebola broke out in 2014-215, Rosanta Vil-lage was the highest hit in the district, claiming the lives of most women and children. He continued that a research like this

puts them in better position on how they should go about their preventive measures, especially on the area of human interaction with both zoonotic and domesticated animals. He also educated that the research did not only target zoonotic animals like bats, monkeys etc. but also domesticated

animals like pigs, goats to name but a few. He also admonished stakeholders that they are equipped with sufficient in-formation on the research findings. Dr. Kamara, however, stated that the research is still ongoing and that they will always came back in every devel-opment of the research process.

Cross Section of District Stakeholders

He however, stated that the Bombali Virus is not the Zaire type that claimed the lives of many people in 2014-2015. He educated stakeholders that the name Bombali Virus came about because the new virus was identified in Bombali District, just as Ebola Virus was discovered in Ebola River in 1976, 2007 Budibugyo Virus in Uganda, 1976 Sudan Virus in Sudan to name but a few.” In science/research names are given to the area were the discovery is first made or the person who first made the discovery’. He noted. Mr Bangura warned community people against the interaction of these set of insect eating bats, because as he put it, they live in the communities in thatch roofs, roof tops, palm trees, banana plantation etc. He also advised community people not to kill them as they also have important role in the environment, citing that they are active eaters of mosquitoes thereby useful in the fight against Malaria and active pollinators. Mr. Bangura caution that no one should Misunderstand the Bombali Virus for Ebola Virus Disease, as they only discovered Bombali Virus and not a disease. He, however pointed out that research is still ongoing and they will come back to the community with the final outcome of the research. The research samples were first tested here in Sierra Leone at the Lab of the University of Makeni and further tested and confirmed at the University of Colombia. “|The lab outcome from the two universities was consistent, thus a new Bombali Virus was born”. Mr Bangura added.

Page 3 Health Promotion Digest

The Project Coordinator, James Bangura for the

USAID-PREDICT Project has disclosed that the new Bombali Virus discovered in Bomobali District, North of Sierra Leone is not an Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). He underscored the fact that, the research has only identified a new strain of Ebola like virus in insect eat-ing bats in Bombali district, adding that the new dis-covery is not a disease but a virus which the research has not been able to tell as to whether it can cause dis-ease/ illness in humans when once it gets to the human population Mr. Bangura made the statement at a well attended meeting organized by the Social Mobilization Unit of the Bombali District Health Management Team, Minis-try of Health and Sanitation for district stakeholders on August 3rd at the Wosum Hotel Conference Hall in Makeni City. While responding to concerns raised by stakeholders, Mr. Bangura stated that the research is an eye opener and early warning to community people, stakeholders, Health Workers, development partners and the country as a whole. He added that 75% of the diseases that affect the hu-man population come from animals, identifying a virus like this is timely for further research and action on the part of communities, country and partners. He refer-enced that the research work started since 2016 and PREDICT works in 30 countries around the world and continued that their focus in Sierra Leone was to identi-fy which animal has the Ebola or Ebola like Virus. Mr. Bangura reiterated that the Bombali Virus is a new strain of virus in the Ebola Virus Family. “This is the first time in the history of research and science that a new virus has been identified before reaching the hu-man population, nowhere in the world has this been done” Mr. Bangura confirmed. He continued that the research was done in six districts (Bombali, Koinadugu, Puje-hun, Kambia, Kono and Western Area) targeting both wide life and domesticated animals and out of 8, 863 samples collected, only five bats linked to Bombali District had the new strain of Ebola like Bombali Vi-rus.

HEALTH MINISTRY CONFIRMS MEASLES OUTBREAK

The Ministry of Health and Sanita-

tion in collaboration with WHO,

UNICEF and other partners on

Thursday December 13th confirmed

measles outbreak in both Kambia

and Pujehun districts at a Press

Conference held at the Directorate of

Health Security and Emergencies on

Wilkinson Road in Freetown.

While updating journalists, Deputy

Chief Medical Officer Public Health,

Rev. Dr. Thomas T. Samba stated

that there have been a total of 7

(Seven) confirmed Measles cases in

December this year in which 3 were

recorded from Pujehun and 4 from

Kambia district, respectively.

Dr. Samba continued that these cas-

es were recorded from unvaccinated

children in Sierra Leone and neigh-

boring Guinea who traveled to ac-

cess Routine Immunization (RI) ser-

vices in nearby health facilities close

to the borders. While responding to

the plans put in place for the out-

break.

He further stated that the Ministry of

Health and Sanitation is doing eve-

rything in its power to bring the out-

break under control and noted that

teams were underway to the affected

districts to support the measles re-

sponse. ”Considering the location of

the affected districts and commu-

nities, we are closely working

with our counterparts in Guinea

and Liberia to ensure continued

collaboration on measles vaccina-

tion efforts, community engage-

ment and surveillance.” Dr. Sam-

ba Assured.

Dr. Samba reiterated that Mea-

sles is a serious but vaccine-

preventable disease that is

caused by a virus. When children

are unvaccinated, the virus can

spread quickly and cause severe

illness, disability and deaths,

adding that a safe, free and effec-

tive vaccine is available to protect

children against measles virus

with two doses given as part of

the Routine Vaccination Schedule

in Sierra Leone. “First dose is giv-

en at 9 months and second dose

at 15 months.” He Noted. Dr.

Samba urged that while they are

planning an emergency vaccina-

tion campaign in both Kambia

and Pujehun, we want to encour-

age all caregivers everywhere in

the country to ensure children

aged under-2 years have received

their two doses of the measles

marklate, which provides lasting

protection against the disease,

adding that vaccination is the

only reliable way to ensure that

children are protected against

measles.

Dr. Samba while concluding

stated that active case search is

underway in the affected com-

munities and added that they

were going to do a reactive mea-

sles vaccination campaign for

children 6 months to 15 years in

the affected and most at risk

communities in the affected dis-

tricts of Pujehun and Kambia,

thereby intensifying cross- bor-

der collaboration and communi-

ty engagement, contact tracing

and enhanced surveillance for

suspected measles cases.

“Parents and care givers are also

reminded to ensure their chil-

dren’s routine vaccines are up to

date”. Dr. Samba Warned. Dr.

Samba urged Communities, lo-

cal authorities and health part-

ners to ensure that every child

everywhere in the affected dis-

tricts is reached with the neces-

sary vaccines.

Page 4 Health Promotion Digest

Dr. Thomas T. Samba

Health Minister Unveils New Method of Chaining Mental Health Patients

Page 5 Health Promotion Digest

Health and Sanitation Minister, Dr.

Alpha Tejan Wurie has officially re-moved and dismantled the physical iron restraints (chaining) to a more humane (soft) restraints, a new method of chaining mental health patients on Monday, September 3, 2018 at the Si-erra Leone Psychiatric Hospital, Kissy

in the east end of Freetown.

Officially removing and dismantling of the physical iron restraints, Dr. Alpha Wurie disclosed that he visited the hos-pital couple of years ago, and could not emerging what he saw about three to four months back that the hospital would have been transformed to that kind of setting and commended Part-

ners In Health.

Speaking about the linkage between government and NGOs, the Minister observed that in Sierra Leone there are up to 50 or more NGO’s serving the Ministry of Health in which a large number will do peace building inter-ventions in so many parts of the coun-try that at no time they can put a fin-

ger on what has been done.

He told his audience that in the New Direction, an NGO should focus on a hospital or a district and ensure that all required interventions within that district is partnered with the govern-

ment of Sierra Leone.

Dr. Wurie stated that some NGO’s received funds in the name of the people of Sierra Leone, and some of these agencies are funded in the name of government of Sierra Leo-ne, adding that these are numbers that are reflective of the amount of money that should have been spent within the health system in

the country.

The Minister reiterated that it is quite clear that the PIH has fo-cused on the hospital through de-velopmental process which they now called the Sierra Leone Psychi-atric hospital rather than the Kissy

Mental hospital.

He thanked the entire staff of the hospital for the great work and assured of the Ministry’s continu-

ous support to the hospital.

The Medical Superintendent, Sier-ra Leone Psychiatric Hospital, Dr. Abdul Jalloh said the Sierra Leone

Psychiatric Hospital is the only Psychiatric hospital in the country, which represents the face of men-

tal health in Sierra Leone.

He said before 2017, it was esti-mated that almost all patients ad-mitted in the hospitals and non-formal health care facilities are kept in chains and has been the mainstay of treatment with people suffering from mental disorders

nationwide.

Dr. Jalloh thanked Partners In Health (PIH) for the prompt sup-port to the hospital in renovating the hospital buildings, improve the

electricity and water supplies in

the hospital.

He told the audience that the total number of patients removed from chains from January 2018 to June 2018 was 111 of which 93 are males and 18 females. He added

that the total number of patients removed from chains from July 2018 to date is 66 of which 55 are males and 11 are females, adding that the total number of patients currently on chains is 5 of which 4

are males and one female.

The Executive Director, Partners In Health, Jonathan Lascher described the collaboration between the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital and Partners In Health as true partnership, adding that they are an NGO working side by side with the Ministry of Health to fulfill the priority of the Ministry in the public

system.

He said they are celebrating the un-chaining of patients which he said the Health Ministry has been yearning for a decade and stated that Partners In Health has put their resources so that it will become a reality for Ministry of Health, the hospital and the patients as

a whole.

Jonathan Lascher disclosed that when they first arrive at the hospital a year ago, it was not in good shape but with the rehabilitation of infrastructure and the introduction of good stabilizing drugs, they are proud to see patients coming out of chains from the history of the hospital. He hope the partnership will move from fear to a pride for the country, community, a place where peo-ple will get care rather than place to

fear.

Highlights of the event included a sym-bolic removal and dismantling of physi-cal iron restraints to a more humane restraints, skit performance by staff of the hospital and a conducted tour of the

hospital formed part of the event.

Health Minister, Dr. Alpha T. Wurie

Health Minister Gracing the Event

Today, non-communicable diseases, such as

high blood pressure, hypertension and diabetes have been identified as one of the leading threats to human health and development and high blood pressure is the leading cause of car-diovascular disease. It accounts for two-thirds of all strokes and half of heart related diseases the world over. With that, health practitioners have attributed poor dietary status, lack of phys-ical exercise and failure of people to imbibe positive health seeking behaviours as some of the core causes of non-communicable diseases around the world, including Sierra Leone. This writer would like to limit this article to dietary/nutritional issues with specific focus on high intake of salt as one of the many contributors to non-communicable diseases in the world. High salt consumption; the silent threat to

Human Health

Historically, the word salt comes from the Latin

word "sal," meaning salt. It was once a valuable

commodity, and was widely used as a currency

for trading in different cultures around the

world, especially during medieval Europe. In

fact, the English word "salary" comes from the

word salt.

Salt has long been used for flavoring and for

preserving food. It has also been used in tan-

ning, dyeing, bleaching, and the production of

pottery, soap, and chlorine. Today, it is widely

used in the chemical industry.

Just as in Europe, Salt (Sodium) has been

widely used before, during and after the coloni-

al period in Africa with indigenous Africans

playing a pivotal role in the Salt Industry. So,

salt has been part of our diet since pre and post

colonial era in Africa. In Sierra Leone, salt

(sodium) is available in the market, ranging

from locally produced to imported and salt

related products which eventually gets to our

plates be it in our homes or local food handlers/

vendors across the country.

It is of no gain saying that, the salt we eat today comes largely from the processed and conven-ience foods in our diet, but some natural and unprocessed foods also contain salt or sodium. It occurs naturally in meats, seafood, eggs, some vegetables, and dairy products.

As a result though, salt is very much im-

portant in the human body for fluid bal-ance, muscle and nerve function. However, health practitioners have strongly argued that high intake of salt is inimical to human health lead-ing to non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure, hyper-tension, diabetes etc.

A new study published in the New

England Journal of Medicine revealed

that there are estimated 1.65 million

deaths linked to high salt (sodium)

consumption each year. In fact, in

the U.S. alone, about 10 percent of all

heart-related deaths are linked to too

much intake of salt (sodium). Isn’t

that scary!!

Cleveland-based dietician Kristin Kirkpatrick explains that when you take in too much salt (sodium), your body starts to retain excess fluid. In turn, this excess fluid causes you to look and feel bloated since you have more liquid inside of you than usual, "Excess fluid increases your blood press and when your blood pressure increases, it can also lead to brain troubles”, says Kirkpatrick. Also, a 2009 multi-university study from the British Medical Journal proved that high sodium intake is directly linked to cardiovas-cular disease and a similar study, published in July 2014 in the Journal of Clinical Endocri-nology & Metabolism, added that having excess salt in your diet doubles the threat of cardiovascular disease for diabetics. In the midst of all these health threats of high salt consumption, leaving the public prone to non-communicable diseases, much has not been done on the area of monitoring the kind of salt and related products that are in the market. The issue of what is low salt intake and what is high salt intake has also been a reasonable discussion that needs answers. For Sierra Leone, this writer has not been privy to any literature stating the standard quantum of salt to be consumed in a day, month or what so ever. This left me with no option but to reference the World Health Organization and the Amer-ica Health Association which recommend not exceeding a daily sodium (SALT) intake of 1,500 mg, or 1.5 g a day, or just over half a teaspoon of table salt. 1,840 milligrams of sodium) decreased indi-viduals' blood pressure across the board. In other words, the more sodium you have, the higher your blood pressure will be. However, one research stressed that too high too law salt intake can lead to high blood In fact, a 2011 study from the British Medical Journal reported that a wide variety of other studies show a "consistent direct relationship between salt intake and blood pressure. The

study states that a 4.6 gram reduction in daily dietary intake of salt (that's equal to about pres-sure, hypertension and other non-communicable diseases. The WHO and AHA, however, caution that peo-ple with high blood pressure, diabetes or cardio-vascular diseases should be vigilant in keeping their intake below the 1,500 mg threshold.

The “Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health” which was adopted in 2004 by the

World Health Assembly (WHA) calls on gov-ernments, the WHO, international partners, private sector and civil society to take action at global, regional and local levels to support healthy diets and physical activity.

In 2011, world leaders committed to reducing people’s exposure to unhealthy diets. The com-mitment was made through a Political Declara-tion of the High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of NCDs. With all the global commitments and the WHO guidelines, the country still faces serious chal-lenges to develop a guide line or policies that will guide food handlers/vendors on what should be served in our homes, restaurants and streets as food. The Directorate of Food and Nutrition, which is the appropriate Directorate in the Min-istry of Health and Sanitation that is charged with the responsibility of overseeing nutritional issues in the country has also called on the assis-tance of the authorities and partners to speedily develop a national policy that will serve as a blueprint for the implementation of nutritional issues in the country. Finally, it is widely believed by many people, health practitioners alike that non-communicable diseases are on the increase and there is need for comprehensive legal instruments like policies, Strategies and legislations that will inform the regulation of salt and salt related products, and the sale advertising, packaging and consumption of both tobacco and alcohol products in the country. It is a fact that people are slowly dying from what they eat and drink resulting to non-communicable diseases without even knowing, which is a serious attitudinal issue. And, this writer strongly believes that legal instruments and public education are very much crucial to effect positive health seeking behaviors.

Research Revealed;

1.65 MILLION DEATHS LINKED TO HIGH SALT INTAKE EACH YEAR

Page 10 Health Promotion Digest

By Ibrahim Sorie Koroma

AUTHOR

Page 7 Health Promotion Digest

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation has in a Press

Release dated Thursday 20th December revealed the

discovery of Marburg Virus in Cave Dwelling Fruit-

Eating Bats in Moyamba (Fankunya Chiefdom), Koina-dugu (Wara Wara Bafodia Chiefdom and Kono (Lei

Chiefdom). The release further states that the Marburg

Virus is in the same filovirus family as Ebola Virus,

adding that the virus can spread from infected bats to

people and from person to person causing Marburg

Virus Disease and can even cause death.

The Release reiterates that the type of bat that carries the

Marburg Virus lives in many countries in Africa, includ-

ing Sierra Leone, stressing that the discovering of Mar-

burg Virus in Sierra Leone is not strange. "This discovery

is the first finding of Marburg Virus in West Africa. States

the . The release continues that it is likely that Marburg Virus may also be found in other countries in West Africa

where this bat lives, the type of bat found to have Mar-

burg Virus in Sierra Leone is similar to the type of bat

linked to outbreaks of Marburg Virus Disease in Uganda,

Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and South Sudan.

The release clearly states that the Marburg Virus was on-

ly found in bats and added that there are no known cases

of Marburg Virus Disease in People in Sierra Leone at the

present time. “The discovery of Marburg Virus in Sierra

Leone before it has made people sick, shows the hard

work Sierra Leone is doing to learn about sicknesses in

animals before they spread to people and how best to live

with people”. States the Release.

DEADELY MARGBURG VIRUS DISCOVERED IN SIERRA LEONE

“. When asked if the ministry of Health

and Sanitation is prepared in the event

there is an outbreak, Dr. Vandi boasted

that the Ministry of Health and Sanita-

tion is fully prepared in case there is an

outbreak. He continued that they now

have Rapid Response and Case Man-

agement Teams in every district, adding

that Active Case Search and Surveil-

lance is ongoing. Dr. Vandi further

noted that they were going to embark

on Community Engagements and So-

cial Mobilization with Districts and

Chiefdom stakeholders across the

country district stakeholders to orien-

tate them on the new discovery, adding

that they had already engaged inter-

parastatal stakeholders, involving Min-

istry of Agriculture, Environment Pro-

tection Agency,

NGO Partners,

CDC, WHO,

ONS in Free-

town at Kona

Lodge.

is the fact that they have been able

to identify the Marburg Virus in

bats before getting to the human

population, which he described as

proactive. “The discovery is a major

public health issue and Public

Health seeks to prevent diseases

before they occur, and this discov-

ery has puts us in better position.”

Dr. Vandi Stressed. He appealed

that there is no cause for panic as

there is no known case of Marburg

virus Disease in the country at the

moment and he however advised

people to avoid contact with bats,

as they are the primary host of not

only Marburg Virus but also other

viruses of other diseases, like

Ebola etc. People in certain part of

the country use bats as source of

protein, ritual and medicinal pur-

poses or for other delicacies but I

want to advise people to avoid not

only bats but also other bush ani-

mals for preventive purposes to

ensure better health” Dr. Vandi

Advised

Following rumors making the

rounds of Marburg Virus Disease

Outbreak, the Director at the Direc-

torate of Health Security and Emer-gencies in the Ministry of Health

and Sanitation, Dr. Mohamed A.

Vandi has dispelled that the recent

discovery of the deadly Marburg

virus in Moyamba, Koinadugu and

Kono Districts does not warrant an

outbreak of the Marburg Virus Dis-

ease in the country, adding that

there has not been any confirmed or

even suspected cases of the Mar-

burg Virus Disease In the country,

meaning there is no outbreak of

Marburg Virus Disease. “If there

was a confirmed laboratory case, then there should have been an

outbreak” he continued “as it is,

there is no outbreak” Dr. Vandi

clarified. Dr. Vandi made the state-

ment at a press briefing held at the

Directorate of Health Security and

Emergencies on Wilkinson Road on

Friday 21st December to update

journalists on the Marburg Virus

discovery. Speaking to journalists,

Dr. Vandi stated that the beauty of

the discovery

MARGBURG VIRUS DISEASE NOT AN OUTBREAK IN SIERRA LEONE-

Director of Health Security and Emergencies

Dr. Mohamed Vandi

WEST AFRICA’S FIRST MESSAGE GUIDE ON ZOONOTIC DISEASES

With support from Breakthrough

Action, the Ministry of Health and

Sanitation in collaboration with the

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and

Food Security, Environment Protec-

tion Agency and other partners last

week ended a two-day stakeholder’s

message guide review workshop on

country specific zoonotic diseases at

the Hill Valley Hotel in Freetown.

he purpose of the workshop was to

review messages on Zoonotic Diseas-

es to ensure technical accuracy, cul-tural and contextual appropriate-

ness, commonly used language and

effective messaging and to further

identify and technically address any

gaps in the information/messages

on the Message Guide with recom-

mended behaviours for the preven-

tion and control of Zoonotic Diseases

in the Sierra Leone.

Dr. Alie Wurie, Director Primary

Health Care, Ministry of Health and

Sanitation, referenced that he first

encountered the H1N1 Avian Influ-

enza, when he was Team Lead of Disease Surveillance some few years

ago and stressed the cost of zoonotic

diseases, especially to both animal

and human health.

Dr. Wurie attributed the increase in

zoonotic diseases to global warming,

adding that climate change puts ani-

mals at risk of diseases, which he

further noted could be transmitted

to the human population if swift and

prudent action is not taken.

Dr. Gusush Jalloh, Deputy Director,

Livestock Division at the Ministry of

Agriculture, Forestry and Food Secu-rity Stated that one of the key chal-

lenges in the One Health Drive Plat-

form was to have stakeholders in

human health, animal health and

the environment to actively discuss

issues on the One Health Platform.

Mr. Jalloh noted that majority of the

diseases that affects humans are

zoonotic related and called for con-

tained collaboration and partnership

in the prevention of zoonotic diseas-

es, which he noted would play divi-

dend, adding that zoonotic diseases

can cause economic loss and ill

health to both animals and humans,

which he noted could have a rippling

effect on the economy of any country if not swiftly addressed.

Health Education Division Programme

Manager, Lansana Alex Conteh in the

Ministry of Health and Sanitation

revealed that the first One Health

Zoonotic Disease Prioritization Work-

shop was conducted in 2017 in Sierra

Leone which identified viral Hemor-

rhagic Fevers, Rabies, Avian Influen-

za, Salmonella, Anthrax and Plague

as endemic and emerging zoonotic

diseases of most significant concern

in Sierra Leone.

Mr. Conteh continued that there is

abundance information on behaviors, perceptions, and attitudes related to

Ebola virus disease and however stat-

ed that there is very little information

on community-level perceptions, prac-

tices, and the sociocultural norms

that influence transmission of many

of the other priority zoonotic diseases

(PZDs) in Sierra Leone. “There was the

need to develop key messages on pri-

ority zoonotic diseases in the country”

Mr. Conteh Stressed.

He further highlighted that the Mes-

sage Guide would consist of key mes-

sages on Yellow fever, Pig Flue, Ebola Virus Disease, Lassa fever, Rift Valley

fever, Avian Influenza, Salmonella,

Anthrax, Monkey Pox and Plague.

Mr. Conteh was optimistic that

stakeholders would find the key

messages on the message guide

very useful in their health promo-

tion and awareness raising activi-ties/campaigns for disease preven-

tion after it would have been vali-

dated and ripe for use. He boasted

that the message guide would be

the first on zoonotic diseases in the

West Africa Sub-Region.

Mr. Conteh concluded that they

were primarily targeting stakehold-

er working on health, agriculture,

teachers, colleges, community vol-

unteers and health workers and

anybody who can read and proper-

ly interpret the key messages on

the message guide to change be-

haviours, thereby ensuring disease

prevention from animals to hu-

mans and from humans to hu-mans. The workshop drew partici-

pants from the Ministry of Health

and Sanitation, UNICEF, Ministry

of Agriculture, Forestry and Food

Security, Environment Protection

Agency, Sierra Leone Red Cross,

USAID-Predict, Breakthrough Ac-

tion, Focus 1000 to name but a

few.

Page 8 Health Promotion Digest

Dr. Wurie Making a Statement and Cross Section of Participants

In promoting transparency and ac-

countability in service delivery, Health and Sanitation Minister, Dr. Alhpa TejanWurie has handed over ten (10)

trucks of assorted Free Health Care drugs to the Princess Christian Ma-ternity Hospital (PCMH) and Ola Dur-ing Children’s Hospital on Monday September 3, 2018 at the hospital compound at Fourah Bay Road in Freetown. Handing over the drugs, Dr. Alpha Wurie described the distri-bution exercise as key in the exist-ence of the children of the country, and paid tribute to the services of the doctors and all medical staff of the PCMH and Ola During Children’s hos-pital for their support to the free

health care initiative.

He informed his audience that the distribution of the free health care drugs will involve all stakeholders including the civil society, the Police to ensure that there is transparency and accountability in the process and

that the drugs reaches not only the

districts hospitals but also in the Health Centers and Peripheral Health

Units (PHUs) across the country.

Dr. Wurie told the gathering that alt-hough the PCMH and Ola During are tertiary hospital but the services they offers is beyond the emergency ser-vices for which the hospital was creat-ed, adding that with the completion of

the five constructed secondary hospi-tals in the city will help address the congestion in the PCMH and Ola Dur-

ing Children’s hospitals.

He informed his audience that the Ministry will support the free quality education system by ensuring that school going children get free treat-ment and ensure that clinics are open in schools where nurses can give first aid treatment to minor illness and

referred major ones to the hospitals.

The Minister disclosed to them about the Vice Minister of Health of Japan’s visit to the hospital and give commit-

ment of an extension of the child care unitand also the Italian group to do theblood bank service and that struc-ture will also start before the end of

the year.

The Mayor of Freetown City Council, Her Worship Yvonne Aki-Sawyer high-lighted the work of the City Council in ensuring proper sanitation in reduc-ing diseases including malaria and other related diseases in children and

their parents in the city.

She said the Health Minister is strongly promoting community owner-ship ensuring that what is being done is not done in close door but in public view so that everyone fills a sense of ownership. She added that when it comes to health outcomes and in changing things, it’s not the trust be-ta lot that is going on in society and the environment around them and that is why they need the community

around them.

She recognizes the important role the medical professionals played and commended them for the good work because without them the kids, par-ents, sisters, brothers and colleagues when fall ill would not have any place

to go.

The Mayor told the gathering that most of them are in the Clinical side, whilst others are in the Public Health side, adding that in the public health side is perhaps where the City Coun-cil can do most to collaborate and partner with the Ministry. She said they know the statistics when it comes to maternal mortality and the

number of women dyeing at child birth, stating that 20 percent of those

numbers comes from teenage girls.

The Minister of Political and Public Affairs, Ambassador FodayYumkella described the drugs distribution as a new dawn, and believed that an exer-cise of that nature is really worth be-

ing part of.

He commended the Health Minister for this kind of initiative and assured of his Ministry’s support to ensure that the drug reaches the beneficiar-

ies.

The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Anthony Brewah said his Ministry is the host of the exercise all over the country as they oversee all the hospitals through their

councils.

He said it is the duty of the councils to ensure that these drugs being dis-tributed are taken proper care of and reaches the beneficiaries and assured of his Ministry’s fullest support to the

Health Ministry.

The Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Amara Jambai commended staff of PCHM and Ola During for the good work, and informed them that plans are underway for the setting up of the National Medical Service Procurement Agency to ensure that drugs are al-

ways in the hospital.

The ceremony was chaired by the Senior Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Mr.

David Banya.

Highlight of the event include state-

ment by the Medical Superintendent,

PCM Hospital, Dr. Alimamy Philip

Koroma and the handing over of the

drugs by the Minister of Health, Dr.

Alpha Wurie.

Health Minister Hands Over 10 Trucks of Assorted Free Health Care Drugs to PCMH and

Ola During

Page 10 Health Promotion Digest

Health Minister, Dr. Alpha T. Wurie

The Ministry of Health and Sanita-tion in collaboration with UNICEF, WHO, Global Affairs Canada and other partners em-barked on November 23rd-26th on

a week long Sub-National Mater-nal and Child Health Week cam-paign, popularly known as “Mammie En Pikin Welbodi Week” in the following selected districts of Bombali, Port-Loko, Kambia, Moyamba, Bonthe and both West-ern Area Rural and Western Area Urban districts. In addition, Over 954,880 under 5 children 6-59 months and 12-59 months were

respectively reached with FREE

UNICEF Country Representative in

Sierra Leone, Dr. Hamid El-Bashir

Ibrahim has revealed that from 1990-

2017; Sierra Leone has experienced a

significant reduction in under-five

child mortality from 262 per 1,000

live births in 1990 to 119 per 1,000

live births in 2017. He, however, stat-

ed that there is need to accelerate

more efforts to further reduce child

mortality in the country which is one

of the benchmarks to achieve the

Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs). He made the statement at the

launch of the Sub-National Maternal

and Child Health Week popularly

known as “Mammie En Pikin Welbodi

Week” at the CCSL Compound,

Kingharman Road last Friday

Mr. El-Bashir attributed the reduc-

tion in under 5 child mortality to evi-

dence-based and cost effective im-

munization interventions like Vita-

min A Supplementation, De-worming

with Albendazole, Measles and Polio

Marklate (Vaccine) which have not

only prevented childhood diseases

and by extension mortality in under-

fives, but also morbidity, adding that

immunization in under 5s prevents

childhood illness, disability, and

death from vaccines preventable dis-

eases such as Measles, Pertussis

( whooping Cough), Pneumonia, Polio

and Diarrhea to name but a few.

He reiterated that Global Evidence

has proven that biannual Vitamin A

supplementation can improve im-

mune system, disease suspect ability

to diseases, prevent vitamin A defi-

ciency and reduce child mortality by up to 20-30% While dilating on the

benefits of the interventions, Mr. El-

Bashir stated that a country like Si-

erra Leone where many communities

remain to be more than an hour

walk from the nearest health facility,

community-based approaches of de-

livering essential child survival and

development interventions through

outreaches and campaigns can en-

sure that all children are benefiting

from these crucial health and nutri-

tion services, adding that this be-

come even more effective when it is

complemented by intensified Social

Mobilization and Awareness Raising Activities to educate the public on

the benefits of these health inter-

ventions and address socio-cultural

beliefs and barriers preventing up-

take of these services, be it during

campaigns or Routine Immuniza-

tion at the health facility.

He referenced that in April2018, a

Polio campaign integrated with Vit-

amin A supplementation and de-

worming services was organized

which allowed the Ministry of

Health and Sanitation to reach 90%

of under-five children with Vitamin

A capsule, Deworming Tablet and

Polio Vaccine, which he noted as a

remarkable achievement. In his rounding-up statement, the

UNICEF Country Representative

urged all Social Mobilizers, Vacci-

nators, and both zonal and district

supervisors to perseveres in the

next 4 days of the “Mammie En

Pikin Welbodi Week” to inform par-

ents and care givers on the benefits

of these interventions and ensure

that they cover more possible

grounds to reach and provide ALL

eligible children, mothers and preg-

nant women with the appropriate

campaign interventions. “Let us leave no stone unturned and leave

no mother and children behind” Mr.

El-Bashir urged health workers.

UNDER FIVE MORTALITY REDUCES FROM 262 TO 119 PER 1000 LIFE BIRTH

Page 10 Health Promotion Digest

UNICEF Country Representative

Health Ministry on Sub-National Maternal and Child Health Week — ( MCH Week)

Vitamin A, Albendazol and defaulter tracing for routine Immunization. Oth-er interventions focused on awareness raising on Focus Antenatal Care, Infec-tion Prevention and Control , Intermit-

tent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in Infants. As one of the key interventions centered around Awareness Raising, the Health Education Division and Partners developed Jingles in 9 local languages, posters and Cloth Banners to educate and raise awareness on the campaign. Radio & TV discussions programmes

were also broadcast live at national & district levels, which was further rein-

forced with a Press Briefing in Freetown

This was also complemented with com-munity engagement and effective use of social media platforms like the: “Health Promotion Network” and the HED Offi-

cial Facebook Page.

The Ministry of Health and Sanita-

tion in collaboration with World Bank,

Doctors with Africa/CUAMM and oth-

er health partners has on Tuesday

27th November launched the much

anticipated National Emergency Medi-

cal Service, popularly known as

NEMS for Western Area at the Miatta

Conference Hall in Freetown.

Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry

of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Amara

Jambai, while pointing out the pur-

pose of the event, noted that the Na-

tional Emergency Medical Service started in 2016 and that they have

come a long way to make it operation-

al. Dr. Jambai reiterated that the Na-

tional Emergency Medical Service is

FREE of cost for health emergencies

within the Free Health Care Initiative/

package. He however, clarified that

the service is open to every other

member of the public, but advised

people to at all times go to the health

facility for medical services.

He hoped that Government and other

partners would be in the position to

continue with the NEMS after the end

of the two-year contract with Doctors

with Africa/CUAMM, as they are the

NGO partner that would be managing the National Medical Service until

such a time when it would be trans-

ferred to the Ministry of Health and

Sanitation. He further noted that they

had already trained Paramedics and

Ambulance Drivers to ensure quality

service delivery and continued that 13

Ambulances would shortly be de-

ployed in Western Area for timely re-

sponse to any health emergencies.

He noted that there were always

going to be some challenges and

advised Paramedics and Ambu-lance Drivers to approach their

work with sense of empathy and

professionalism, as their work is

to save lives.

Dr. Jambai also warned road us-

ers and pedestrians to always

give way to NEMS ambulances

and further advised Ambulance

Drivers to be careful as they

would not like to lose lives in the

process of saving lives. , as these

set of youths are now being ca-

pacitated enough to contribute

top national development. Mr.

Wang further stated that the

Emergency Medical Service

would improve the accessibility

of Emergency Services. He con-

tinued that Doctors with Africa CUAMM is here to help the Gov-

ernment to kick-start the NEMS

Programme. Speaking on behalf

of the World Bank Team, Senior

HEALTH MINISTRY LAUNCHES EMERGENCY MDICAL SERVICE IN WESTERN AREA

to see that the NEMS become a

reality and stressed that it is a win

-win situation on the part of the

Government, Donor Partners, tar-

get beneficiaries, Human Resource

In his statement, the Chief Execu-tive Officer of Doctors with Africa,

Paolo Rosi reiterated that the ra-

tionale of NEMS was to set-up a

National Emergency Ambulance

Service in which paramedics would

be able to assess and render first

aid emergency care before and

while going to the hospital/health

facility, adding that there was need

for proper management of NEMS of

which they had been contracted to

do for 2 years and stated that they

had already installed GPS coordi-

nates in the ambulances for easy tracking monitoring. He further

stated that the NEMS would be

operating for 24-hours and para-

medics would also be working day

and night to swiftly respond to

emergencies. Deputy Chief Medical

Officer Clinical, Dr. Bash-Taqi,

who made the closing remarks

called citizens/community people

and any other member of the pub-

lic to support the National Emer-

gency Service and assist in the

monitoring and protection of the

Ambulances, as community watch is key for them to prevent any mis-

use/ abuse of the ambulances and

further ensure sustainability of the

NEMS to achieve their desired

goal.

Page 11 Health Promotion Digest

Cross Section of Paramedics and Drivers

Directorate of Primary Health

Care

Health Education

Division

Location : Medical Stores

Compound , New Eng-land Ville, Freetown ,

Sierra Leone

Contact Number:

+232 78 262275

Email:

lans592@yahoo.co.uk

Background of the Health Education Division

The Health Education Division is one of the technical Programs in the Direc-torate of Primary Health Care in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. The Di-vision is charged with the responsibility of enrolling Health Education/Health Promotion activities through the coordinated use of behavior change communi-cation approaches to create demand and foster a change of behavior and fur-

ther promote healthy lifestyle.

In addition, it renders support services to other technical programmers within

the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.

As the body charged with the responsibility of providing policy direction on Health Education/Health Promotion, a Health Education Policy was developed

in 200, which was the guiding tool in Health Education.

However, the changing trends in the cause of disease burden and health out-comes, notably the rise of Non-communicable diseases, justified the need for Sierra Leone to put in place structures, policies and programmers capable of

addressing Public Health Challenges.

Also, evidence has shown that, the application of Health Promotion leads to positive outcomes such as empowerment for health action, healthy public poli-

cies and increased community involvement to ensure leadership, participation, ownership and sustainability of enrolled Health Education/Health Promotion

activities.

Moreover, the Ottawa Charter of 1986, Bangkok charter of 2005, the Ouaga-dougou Declaration of 2008 and the Nairobi call to action of 2009 stressed the

need to mobilize new players in by involving all actors.

Hence, the need to shift from Health Education to a broader concept of Health Promotion was identified, followed by the development of the National Health Promotion Policy in 2010, with technical support from the World Health Organi-

zation Sierra Leone (WHO-SL).

It is the vision of the Health Education Division to put Health Promotion high on the national agenda through mainstreaming of activities across program-mers, population and discuss specific issues; thereby promoting and protecting the health of all people in Sierra Leone and its mission is to provide Health Pro-motion Policy directives to addressing risks factors and the determinants of health associated with preventable cause of ill-health, disability and prevent

deaths.

Programme Manger: Mr. Lansana Conteh

Assistant Manager: Samuel Sesay

Social Mobilization Pillar Executive

Chair: Health Education Division

Co-chair: UNICEF-C4D

SM Pillar Secretary:

Ibrahim Sorie Koroma-HED/MoHS

SMP Lead Coordinators:

Lansana Alex Conteh-HED/MoHS

Salieu Jalloh-UNICEF-C4D

List of Programme Focal Persons

Malaria ,One Health - Christiana F. Roberts

Nutrition ,CH/EPI—Sr Duba,Ibrahim S Koroma

HED Knowledge Gateway –Ibrahim Sorie Koroma

CHW Hub /Malaria – Kottor Kay Kamara

Sr. Duba Kamara - RH/Family Planning

District Social Mobilization Lead Coordinators

Western Urban- Thomas Kaku Harding

Western Rural – Stephen Koroma

Bo District - Mohamed Massaquoi

Bonthe District– Dickson M. Alpha

Moyamba District– Bintu Jabbie

Pujehun District– Baindu Konneh

Koinadugu District– Francis

Kanneh

Kambia District– Hassan Kanu

Tonkolili District– Mohamed Jalloh

Bombali District– Mohamed Conteh

Port-Loko District– Erwin Kamara

Kenema District– Francis Abu Suma

Kono District– Sahr Charles Quee

Kailahun District– Francis M. Bundu

Editorial Team:

Ibrahim Sorie

Koroma

and

Harold Thomas,

Comms. Lead

DHSE/EOC

Contributors

Ibrahim Sorie Koroma HEO/MoHS

Kadrie Koroma - MoHS PRO Unit