The Public Health Act, No. 17 of 2023.

This Act, consisting of 111 sections and divided into ten parts, provides for the promotion, protection and improvement of public health in Sierra Leone, in order to: protect individuals and communities from public health risks; prevent and control the spread of infectious diseases; improve local government and community participation in protecting public health. The Act defines the following relevant terms: animal carcass; communicable disease; food, as any substance raw or processed, intended for human consumption, including: fish products, animal products, fruits, vegetables, additives, beverages, condiments; food animal; public health emergency response fund; infectious disease; meat; non-communicable disease; public health risk, as any animal or substance hazardous to human health, that contributes to communicable diseases in humans; rural area; disposal of human waste; traditional medicine and practices.
The Act concerns: public health system administration and related ministerial powers and responsibilities; duties of local councils, including: providing information, education and communication to promote healthy lifestyles; improving environmental health care; strengthening access to safe drinking water, controlling food quality and safety; ensuring adequate drainage, sewage and solid waste disposal services; preventing the pollution of water intended for human and animal consumption; protection of the environment and promotion of health; prevention, surveillance and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Further matters covered by this Act include: appointment of chief medical officers, health officers, public health inspectors, and establishment of their duties; declaration of health area, appointment of health agencies and authorities and endemic control authorities; measures to control the spread of endemic diseases and eliminate disease-carrying animals, and animal vectors; inspections, nuisance and insanitary conducts and activities; prevention, notification and treatment of diseases; declaration of infected area and evacuation procedure; disinfection of public places.
Part VII of the Act concerns drainage, sanitation measures, and water supplies and focuses on: construction of public and private drains and responsibility to clean empty drains; specific provisions for drainage; sanitary services in urban areas; water supply for domestic purposes; penalties for contaminating water supply; control of wells and protection from contamination. Part IX covers measures concerning food, slaughterhouse and markets, and includes: ban on the sale of unsafe food; notification of cases of food poisoning or food borne illnesses; slaughtering animals for human consumption, and requirements of public slaughterhouses; requirements for sale of meat and fish products; inspection of meat.