Health Issues

Since the civil war ended in 2002, health, sickness and disease have been major topics linked to Sierra Leone. Over one million people were forced from their homes and into neighbouring countries that were already riddled with poverty.  According to the United Nations, Sierra Leone is ranked 180 out of 187 countries for living conditions and has one of the highest rates of childhood and maternal mortality in the world.

The maternal mortality rate in Sierra Leone is 950 deaths per 100,000 live births, and in the last 20 years they have only dropped their child mortality rate by 50 and are now at 200 deaths per 1000 children under the age of 5. The main reason why so many mothers and children are dying is because there are not enough trained doctors or midwives in Sierra Leone. Some women have to walk up to 3 days to reach a doctors clinic, and by then they have normally given birth and the child has died.

Because the majority of Sierra Leoneans live in rural areas they rely on water from rivers and unprotected wells that are often contaminated and dirty. These water sources are often prone to outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as hepatitis A, cholera, diarrhoea and typhoid fever. Other diseases that are common in Sierra Leone are yellow fever, Lassa fever, malaria, meningitis, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections, like HIV/AIDS. Most of these diseases can be prevented if they were able to receive vaccinations, medicine and mosquito nets.