Sierra Leone records 32% drop in maternal deaths during Health campaign

The Sierra Leone Ministry of Health launched a 300-day campaign to eliminate preventable maternal and child deaths and reach zero-dose children who have never received vaccines.

The initiative, called 300 days of Activism for Triple Zero, seeks to provide life-saving healthcare to vulnerable populations, including those living in urban slums and remote border areas. Health workers are moving from periodic campaigns to a daily execution model to address gaps like medicine shortages and missed appointments.

In areas like the Congo Town slum in Freetown, nurses visit homes to administer vaccines to children whose parents cannot travel to clinics due to poverty or work. The government also provided 500 bicycles to Community Health Workers to help them reach remote locations where transportation is difficult. Preliminary data from the campaign show that maternal deaths have fallen by 32.2% compared to a 2025 baseline.

The ministry also reported a 12.3% drop in child deaths and successfully reached over 10,000 children who had previously received no immunizations.