Freetown, 23 July, 2021 / 10:50 am (ACI Africa).
A Catholic Charity organization in Sierra Leone has said the West African nation has some of the “poorest health indicators” in the world, which have been caused by COVID-19 and other diseases that have claimed the lives of masses in the country.
In a Tuesday, July 20 report, Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) says Sierra Leone is still experiencing effects of other diseases, including Ebola and malaria that were there before COVID-19, a situation officials of the charity say, has lowered life expectancy.
“Sierra Leone has some of the poorest health indicators of any country in the world. The average life expectancy sits at 49 for men and 51 for women. Rates of malaria, typhoid, cholera, and child mortality have stayed discouragingly high,” officials of the Catholic entity say.
They note that Ebola, which dealt a blow to the country’s health system, adversely affected the country before COVID-19.
“In 2014, Ebola tore through the West African nations of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The disease, which is less contagious but far more deadly than COVID-19, shut down these countries for nearly two years until the outbreak was declared over,” CMMB officials say in their July 20 report.