Monkeypox fear hangs over Liberia amid conflicting diagnostic reports
…As health workers identify 28 new cases
A Special News Feature by Our Staff Writer
Paynesville, Monrovia-The government national radio, ELBC is reporting here that health workers in the country have lately identified at least 28 cases of the deadly Monkeypox virus in people across the country.
Scores of the cases, according to the station’s Thursday, May 22, 2025 report, were discovered upcountry mainly in Lofa and Sinoe Counties, both located in the northwest and southeast of Liberia.
Conflicting reports
At the sametime the Ministry of Health (MoH) reported during last week that it has recorded only 25 new cases in Liberia-these include four new cases of Monkeypox also referred to as “Mpox” found in Montserrado, Margibi and Sinoe respectively.
At a news conference in the capital last week, the country’s scientist, Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan who heads the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) said his agency has recorded a total of 102 cases beginning last year to present.
Of this total 77 victims he maintained, were treated. He didn’t mention any incident of victims experiencing complications and all 77 appeared to have survived.
On the surface, the capital remains calm with not much panicking over what seems the slow spread of the lurking virus, an indication that health authorities have control over its spread for now.
Dr. Chris Nyan in Jingle!
In fact, Dr. Chris Nyan himself appeared in a social media clip-a short jingle-and staged a “fun-dance” with one local musician on the Mpox virus.
It’s not clear what exactly the video sought to achieve especially in the absence of a seemingly lack of a vigorous outreach momentum to educate the public about preventive methods in the face of such an emerging national threat!
Until last week, the public got alarmed by horrifying social media video and still photo images of a middle aged man who had come down with the virus while reportedly traveling upcountry.
From the man’s podcast he appears to be either a telemarketer or freelance marketer engaging in street publicity upcountry at the time of the incident. He self-isolated himself and requested his fans not to panic but pray for his survival.
Global Ekklesia sought to obtain comments from Dr. Chris Nyan and MoH authorities here but was unsuccessful.
Mpox seminar for president’s aides
Meanwhile, Liberia’s President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr. isn’t taking the Mpox outbreak lightly. On arrival at a ceremony in the capital he was shown disinfecting his both hands before taking seat.
In Rehab, Paynesville, several of President Boakai’s aides attended the president’s JNB Foundation charity’s first Mpox seminar on how to prevent the deadly virus! They included bodyguards and PSU securities. The workshop came after MoH canceled its scheduled “Mpox workshop” slated for last Monday.
An aide who participated in the foundation’s seminar said they had gone to the ministry of Health ready for the training to kick off but were turned back by the ministry amid excuses that they (MoH) weren’t ready.
The main presenter, Dr. Tamba Cembianor who heads JNB Foundation’s medical department, narrated the origin of the virus, its fatality, and the methods through which it can be spread.
Later, Journalist James Kokulo Fasuekoi picked up from where Dr. Tamba left off and spoke about his Global Ekklesia media coverage of last year’s outbreak especially upcountry and the tension with which he and his news crew were greeted in Yeala, his own hometown, when they arrived.
The JNB Foundation’s deputy executive director, Mr. Henry Saah Flanpor attended this seminar and contributed to the lectures.
Mpox first breakout
In August and September, Liberia experienced its first outbreak of Monkeypox Lofa County. The infected patients were all children from Yeala and Borkeza, two towns along the Liberia-Guinea Border.
Their conditions at the time remained mild, and not as severe as some health workers had predicted initially. Thanks to God Almighty, both toddlers were able to survive.
The disease is reported to have entered the Republic of Liberia by way of neighboring Guinea, and possibly, Sierra Leone.
Despite Zorzor’s remoteness (over 200 kilometers) from the capital, Global Ekklesia, in Sept. committed resources, dispatching a news crew to Yeala Town and Zorzor City, to ascertain the facts on the virus spread. Please click on our exclusive story here: Liberia and the lurking deadly Monkeypox virus!
Mpox can turn fatal
Monkeypox, according to online scientific sources, is an infectious viral disease that can attack both humans and animals and its symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, fever and rashes causing blisters on the victim’s skin.
It has been reported that the virus can turn fatal and even result in complications or death!
But like last year’s Mpox outbreak, national public awareness information on the current state remains scanty since news of its latest outbreak thus leaving more questions unanswered.
Three factors give rise to the spread
In the Zorzor District incident of September 2024, Global Ekklesia uncovered three key factors that often give rise to the fast spread of such diseases in African settings including in Liberia, with poor medical facilities:
- Medical workers’ apparent poor coordination on how to curb its spread
- Lack of timely information sharing exercises
- Failure to take a proactive stance
An anonymous US-based medical doctor Ekklesia interviewed in September also pointed out all of the above plus more as being “factors” hindering the nation’s healthcare delivery system which at times even contribute to unnecessary deaths!
Health authorities said they have shipped in more Monkeypox vaccines and intend to first inoculate “frontline health workers” and “highly-at-risk groups” before rolling it out to the public.
Banner photograph of Ekklesia Publisher James Kokulo Fasuekoi making a presentation Wednesday during JNB Foundation’s first seminar on the prevention of the Monkeypox virus in Liberia. All photos by JNB foundation & Global Ekklesia.Com