By Josephine Sesay
The Sierra Leone National Public Health Agency (NPHA) has honored the Sierra Leone China Friendship Biological Safety Laboratory (SLCFBS Lab) with a special award for its exceptional contribution during the 2025 Mpox outbreak. The recognition highlights the lab’s advanced diagnostic capacity, scientific leadership, and longstanding partnership with Sierra Leone’s public health system.
As of September 27, 2025, the SLCFBS Lab had processed 3,198 suspected Mpox samples, confirming 2,702 positive cases representing more than 50% of the country’s total 5,342 confirmed cases. Within NPHA’s network of 11 affiliated laboratories, the SLCFBS Lab led Sierra Leone’s national testing and response efforts with unmatched speed and accuracy.
The lab’s swift diagnostics and scientific guidance were crucial in containing the outbreak and shaping our national response strategy, an NPHA spokesperson said during the award ceremony. Their work saved lives and prevented a wider spread of the disease.
The award marks another milestone in the deepening collaboration between the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) and Sierra Leone. The SLCFBS Lab the country’s first and only Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) facility was established in 2014 in the wake of the devastating Ebola epidemic that swept across West Africa.
Although initially intended for transfer to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) after the Ebola crisis, continued financial and technical challenges led China CDC to retain management. Since then, China CDC has deployed expert teams annually, ensuring the lab remains at the forefront of infectious disease surveillance and response.
Over the past decade, the SLCFBS Lab has become an indispensable part of Sierra Leone’s public health infrastructure. It has supported national responses to Ebola, COVID-19, and Mpox, while expanding diagnostic services for HIV, hepatitis B, and malaria.
During the 2025 Mpox outbreak, China CDC’s expert team at the lab provided real-time diagnostic data and technical guidance to both the MoHS and NPHA. Their scientific input helped inform containment and treatment strategies, underscoring the critical role of laboratory science in outbreak management.
The NPHA award recognizes the collective dedication of both Chinese and Sierra Leonean scientists, said Dr. Haimo Shen, China CDC Country Director in Sierra Leone. “Under our shared vision of building a ‘Global Health Community for All,’ we remain committed to strengthening local capacities, enhancing public health preparedness, and safeguarding the well-being of the Sierra Leonean people.
To commemorate China’s support during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, China CDC will host a week-long public health program in Freetown from November 10–15, 2025. The event will feature academic exchanges, retrospectives on joint achievements, and planning sessions to deepen future cooperation.
Looking ahead, China CDC will continue managing operations at the SLCFBS Lab in close partnership with the MoHS, NPHA, World Health Organization (WHO), and Africa CDC. The shared goal is to strengthen Sierra Leone’s laboratory network and enhance regional and global public health resilience, the NPHA award not only celebrates the lab’s achievements but also reaffirms a strategic partnership rooted in science, solidarity, and a shared commitment to global health security.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Friday, 10th October 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
