Senegal’s silent emergency

Stage by stage In Senegal, while programmes tackling infectious diseases have been effective, longer life expectancy and more western lifestyles are causing cancer rates to climb. Data show that more people are dying of cancer here than of malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS together. Almost 14 million people live in Senegal, but only a handful of doctors focus on cancer which stands out given the country’s high level of medical education and a health system said to be more than 100 years old. The lack of strong prevention, good screening and treatment programmes often leave outcomes grim. The west African country’s only radiotherapy machine has fallen into disuse and patients often have to travel to Morocco for treatment, say reports. Picture shows oncologist Dr. Abdoul Aziz Kasse at his Clinique des Mamelles, in Dakar, Senegal.

Stage by stage: In Senegal, while programmes tackling infectious diseases have been effective, longer life expectancy and more western lifestyles are causing cancer rates to climb. Data show that more people are dying of cancer here than of malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS together. Almost 14 million people live in Senegal, but only a handful of doctors focus on cancer which stands out given the country’s high level of medical education and a health system said to be more than 100 years old. The lack of strong prevention, good screening and treatment programmes often leave outcomes grim. The west African country’s only radiotherapy machine has fallen into disuse and patients often have to travel to Morocco for treatment, say reports. Picture shows oncologist Dr. Abdoul Aziz Kasse at his Clinique des Mamelles, in Dakar, Senegal. * AP