* The national fumigation, which entails vector, pest and disease control, in addition to national hospital cleaning exercises and improved infection prevention and control measures, are delibrately aimed at addressing the life-threatening condition of sepsis

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone - The Ministry of Health, through its Directorate of Environmental Health, has embarked on a pest and disease control exercise targeting all government hospitals nationwide. About 124 trained fumigation officers and supervisors will be distributed to different facilities across the country to work with hospital leadership to make identified areas accessible for disinfection and ensure appropriate safety measures are observed before, during and after the exercise. Addressing the excited team this morning, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Mustapha Kabba, encouraged all newly trained vector and pest control workers to demonstrate good sense of professionalism by prioritizing patient safety, and working hard in the interest of patients.

"Fumigation is far more than a routine practice," the CMO said. He went on; "together with proper healthcare waste management and environmental sanitation, it is one of the everyday protocols that keep hospitals free from infections that put mothers, newborns and health workers at risk." So far, data from the country's flagship healthcare campaign-the 300 Days of Activism-show that sepsis, a medical emergency caused by infection, is one of the leading causes of maternal and child deaths. The national fumigation, which entails vector, pest and disease control, in addition to national hospital cleaning exercises and improved infection prevention and control measures, are delibrately aimed at addressing the life-threatening condition of sepsis.

The work of these 124 fumigation officers is critically vital at a time like this because a clean, disease-free hospital is a precondition for zero preventable maternal and child deaths. Every fumigation cycle, every properly managed waste bin and every disinfected ward is a direct step towards achieving the triple zero targets.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health - Government of Sierra Leone.