Senegal: transforming health facilities into safe places for clients

Dakar – ​​​​In Senegal, as in most countries in the African region, hospital-acquired infections are a major challenge. Also known as nosocomial infections, they are among the most frequently observed adverse events in the context of health service delivery. According to estimates from World Health Organization (WHO), in high-income countries seven out of 100 patients hospitalized in intensive care will contract at least one nosocomial infection during their stay in hospital. In low- or middle-income countries this number rises to 15.

Female genital mutilation in Senegal: a multi-pronged fight for lasting change

Dakar – Awa has never forgotten the day of her circumcision, at just nine years of age. « They cut me with a knife, without anaesthetic, with just a piece of cloth in my mouth to muffle my screams," she recalls. 

Now, aged 25 and living in Kolda in the south of Senegal, Awa has become an activist against female genital mutilation (FGM), any procedure involving the partial or total removal of a woman's external genitalia, or any other injury to the female genital organs that is performed for non-medical reasons.

Lamine Thiare, Football Coach, Senegal

A well-known goalkeeper and football coach both in his native Senegal and across West Africa, Lamine Thiare uses his considerable influence to transmit a simple message to young people: “Do not smoke!” he warns them emphatically.

Vaccinating newborns against hepatitis B

Marlène Seck has brought her infant daughter to the Philippe Maguilene Senghor Health Centre in Yoff, Senegal, to be vaccinated against hepatitis B. The baby cries as she receives her jab, but the tears are worth it: having received her first dose at birth, this is her third dose of the life-saving vaccine.

Senegal seeks international certification for its emergency medical team

Thiès, Senegal, In the operating room, the regular beep of machines confirms the good news: the “patient”, tested positive for COVID-19 and having just undergone an emergency Cesarean section, is fine. Everyone can breathe easier: the simulation exercise is a success. The fake patient sits up, the doctor reviews the proceedings with those present, and the observers put away their evaluation forms. 

Launch of 2022 Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets Campaign in The Gambia & Senegal

Malaria continues to pose a significant public health and development challenge. The most recent World Malaria Report revealed an estimated 241 million malaria cases and 627,000 deaths in 2020. The WHO African Region carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden being home to 95% and 96% of malaria cases and deaths respectively.

Towards early cancer diagnosis in Senegal

Asma* recalls the long journeys between her parents’ home in Mbour, a coastal city in western Senegal, and the Aristide Le Dantec Hospital in the capital Dakar, where she was being treated for leukaemia. It was a journey she came to know by heart. Diagnosed at age 16, she spent three long years in intensive treatment, followed by another five years of monitoring for any potentially life-threatening relapse.