On the Front Lines of a Pandemic: Sierra Leone’s Field Epidemiology Training Program Success Story

In early 2020, as headlines around the world warned of a fast-spreading new virus, Sierra Leone watched with a mixture of concern and determination. The country had not forgotten the devastating Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2015, which had exposed painful weaknesses in disease detection, surveillance, and emergency response. That experience left deep scars, but it also sparked reform. When COVID-19 began its global sweep, Sierra Leone faced the crisis with a stronger foundation than many might have expected.