West Africa: Mpox in Sierra Leone – What’s Behind the Recent Surge and Why West Africa Is At Risk

As of 17 June 2025, there have been over 4,000 confirmed cases of mpox and 25 deaths in Sierra Leone, raising the possibility that the virus will spread to neighbouring countries and spark a larger outbreak throughout the densely populated region of west Africa. Cases in Sierra Leone appear to be spreading from person to person, mainly among young men and women.

The Conversation Africa asked Jia Kangbai, an infectious-diseases epidemiologist at Njala University in Freetown, what’s behind the…