The sky-high anemia rates revealed by Sierra Leone’s 2013 national survey came as little surprise, but they did reveal that tackling iron deficiency was the wrong battle, writes Andrew Green. Only around 4% of anemia cases in children were caused by iron deficiency, and…
February 26, 2018
In low- and middle-income countries with similar socioeconomic characteristics, the toll of burns varies—but they all share a shortage of treatment options.
August 18, 2017
Sierra Leone’s devastating mudslides, which killed about 400 people and rendered more than 3,000 homeless, raise critical questions about the underlying causes. To identify lessons that could avert future disasters, the Thomson Reuters Foundation turned to aid organizations…
August 15, 2017
Torrential flooding created mudslides in Freetown, Sierra Leone yesterday, killing hundreds and trapping many more, reported Jaime Yaya Barry for the New York Times. The city’s inadequate drainage system was overwhelmed by the floodwaters, spelling devastation for the…
January 24, 2017
Ebola has exacted a huge mental health toll in Sierra Leone. But the stigma attached to visiting a “place for crazy people” has kept those in need of treatment away from the country’s lone psychiatric hospital. “People are used to understanding mental illness in their own…
October 19, 2016
At the height of Sierra Leone’s Ebola outbreak, fears and misperceptions surrounding the country’s public health system likely translated into delays in seeking care, according to researcher Thespina Yamanis and colleagues at American University. Most people interviewed…
August 8, 2016
The before and after images from Kerrytown, the 100-bed treatment center built during the height of the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, say it all: Bustling and focused during the Ebola outbreak, derelict and decaying today, populated by stray dogs and goats. Reporter Tulip…
June 3, 2016
For women in Sierra Leone needing surgery for fistula, the lack of access to safe anesthesia is yet another hurdle. Frequent power cuts and a lack of oxygen tanks meant that most health facilities in the country can’t provide general anesthesia, ruling out procedures like…
March 17, 2016
Health workers in Freetown, Sierra Leone who have survived the worst of the Ebola epidemic are concerned about being part of one of the largest Ebola vaccine trials. Researchers are seeking 6,000 to 8,000 health workers as study participants since they are at higher risk…
November 9, 2015
Amnesty International (AI) is calling on Sierra Leone authorities to immediately lift a “humiliating ” ban that excludes thousands of pregnant girls from mainstream schools and bars them from taking exams on November 23. A new AI report, Shamed and blamed: Pregnant girls’…