Senegalese epidemiologist Cheikh Sokhna offers a critical perspective on the resurgence of infectious diseases such as Rift Valley fever and Mbox fever. The Research Director at the French Research Institute for Development (IRD) outlines the reasons for the prevalence of these diseases in Senegal.

"The more water you have, the more mosquitoes you tend to have. We used to have these cases of Rift Valley fever. But what we have noticed this year is the number of deaths, which I find high," the scientist noted.

The 2025 mortality rate in Senegal is higher than previously observed mortality rates. "According to information I have received, this mortality can be explained by the fact that patients arrive late at the treatment facilities," noted Cheikh Sokhna, speaking at the monthly bimodal session of the National Academy of Sciences and Techniques of Senegal (ANSTS) last Wednesday.

In general, the researcher advocates the establishment of local laboratories for faster diagnoses and, consequently, faster treatment.

"It's a bit complicated to have only one reference center (the Pasteur Institute) for making diagnoses. I think that if we start to have a few centers, the diagnostic delays will be reduced, which would allow us to have fewer serious cases," argued the scientist who also suggested the establishment of "point of care" (POC) laboratories to carry out tests at the patient's bedside.

He then announced that discussions are underway with the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, specifically the laboratory directorate and the Integrated Incident Management System, headed by Dr. Boly Diop, to integrate these local laboratories into the diagnostic process. “Currently, we are in discussions with the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene. I think we will have the green light by next week. Because we have the systems for detection, including point-of-care (POC) testing, which are small laboratories capable of performing diagnostics, which we used during the Covid pandemic, and can now be integrated into the response,” explained Cheikh Sokhna, who gave a presentation on the topic: “Malaria and Tropical Diseases: Detection, Epidemiology, and Control.”