Senegal News

Yeumbeul – In less than a decade, Senegal has reduced its maternal mortality rate by more than 50%, from 392 deaths per 100 000 live births in 2015 to 153 in 2023. Behind this progress, however, a more complex reality persisted: in many health facilities, women continued to experience childbirth marked by fear, lack of information and impersonal health care. 

Dakar – Anaemia remains one of the most critical public health challenges in the African Region, affecting millions of women and children and holding back progress in health, education and economic development. Recognizing the urgent need for action, technical experts representing governments from 21 countries in the Region and development partners gathered in Saly, Senegal, from 2 to 4 December 2025, for a regional workshop on accelerating the reduction of anaemia among children and women of reproductive age.

Dakar — Since September, Senegal has been facing an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF), a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes or through contact with infected animals. Affecting both humans and livestock, it spreads mainly in pastoral areas and transhumance zones.

Dakar – As antimicrobial resistance (AMR) silently threatens global health, a Senegalese expert stands out as one of the continent’s most committed voices. Moving between lecture halls and fieldwork, Dr Oumar Bassoum turns challenges into opportunities to protect the  common good: preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics.

Dakar ‒ Prostate cancer is one of the most common male cancers on the African continent. Studies report high incidence and mortality rates among African men compared to men of other origins. This is explained by a combination of biological, genetic and social factors.

Dakar – Alors que la promesse de la Couverture sanitaire universelle (CSU) reste encore inachevée pour des millions d’Africains, l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS) a lancé, en collaboration avec la Banque mondiale et l’Institut africain de statistique (STATAFRIC) de l’Union africaine, une formation sous-régionale visant à renforcer la capacité des pays à mesurer et à suivre la protection financière en santé.

Dakar - On July 1, 2025, Senegal officially launched the introduction of the hexavalent vaccine into its Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). Following in Mauritania's footsteps, Senegal is part of this regional dynamic of vaccine innovation. This vaccine is a combination that protects against six diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), and poliomyelitis. It replaces the pentavalent and inactivated polio vaccines (IPV), previously administered separately.

Dakar – Ndèye, 29, mother of three children and living in Guédiawaye in the outskirts of Dakar, says she has always had difficult pregnancies. “I gave birth at home for my first two pregnancies, and for my last child, the beginning was difficult. I was dizzy all the time and felt very tired, and yet I told myself that it would pass, that it was normal,” she explains.

Dakar – Senegal has become the first country in Africa to receive World Health Organization (WHO) classification for developing the capacity of its emergency medical team to be able to deploy and respond to health crises around the world, marking an historic milestone for the country and significantly boosting the African Region’s emergency response capacity.

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.