Public health authorities in northern Senegal gathered on Wednesday in Saint-Louis to address a striking divide between an escalating female genital schistosomiasis crisis and steady progress against malaria.
Regional administrative and health leaders convened for a committee on regional development chaired by Governor Al Hassan Sall, according to reporting by EnquetePlus.com. While anti-malaria efforts show encouraging numbers across the region, a newly documented parasitic threat in Richard-Toll and Podor demands an immediate public health pivot.
Female genital schistosomiasis now affects roughly one in four women in those two districts, according to an exhaustive study conducted by the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene through the National Programme to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases, alongside Gaston-Berger University of Saint-Louis and Cheikh-Anta-Diop University of Dakar. The investigation forms part of a multi-center research effort spanning Mali, Ghana, Nigeria, and Madagascar, as reported by SenePlus.
“If we take four women, at least one is affected by female genital schistosomiasis.”
Dr. Kane emphasized that the infection remains largely misunderstood and under-diagnosed despite carrying severe complications, including infertility, chronic pelvic pain, recurring infections, and an elevated risk of cervical cancer.
Transmission occurs primarily through freshwater contact in the Senegal River and agricultural irrigation canals, keeping infection rates stubbornly high in the valley, Leral.net reported. Governor Sall called for an immediate community mobilization during the restitution workshop to bring the disease under control, noting that natural climatic conditions and surface water resources make the northern zone uniquely vulnerable.
On the malaria front, the epidemiological picture in Saint-Louis presents a stark contrast of hope and lingering vulnerability. Governor Sall said that the region sits firmly on a path toward malaria elimination, recording 2,734 cases and two deaths across 2025, with zero fatalities logged during the first half of 2026.
The district of Saint-Louis accounts for 80 percent of regional cases, with 77 percent of infections originating locally, while 51 percent of infected individuals lack a mosquito net in their household. Nationally, confirmed malaria cases dropped 31 percent between 2021 and 2025 to 245,562, placing 73 of Senegal’s 79 health districts into pre-elimination phases ahead of a 2030 zero-malaria target.
