Leprosy has not had its last word in Senegal. While health authorities present an overall positive long-term assessment, figures recently made public in the Fatick region reveal a trend worth attention: a continuous increase in the number of detected cases since 2021, with a marked acceleration in 2025. A reality that official discourse tends to downplay, but that the data themselves partially contradict.
Fatick: a continuous progression over four years
It was during a meeting of the Regional Development Committee (CRD) held in Fatick that Dr. Ndiaga Guèye, coordinator of the National Leprosy Control Programme, delivered a detailed assessment for the region. According to the data he presented, the region recorded 26 cases between 2021 and 2025: three in 2021, three in 2022, five in 2023, seven in 2024 and ten in 2025. The curve is unambiguously upward.
These cases are spread across several localities in the Fatick department — Diakhao, Djiffior, Foundiougne, Gossas, Niakhar, Passy and Sokone —, indicating a significant geographical spread within a single region. The fact that ten cases were detected in 2025 alone, representing nearly 40% of the cumulative total over five years, constitutes a signal that local public health actors cannot ignore.
285 national cases in 2025: intensified screening or real resurgence?
At the national level, Dr. Guèye reported 285 cases recorded in 2025. He attributes this increase to the intensification of mass screening campaigns, particularly in former disease hotspots and in areas described as “hot zones”: Dakar, Thiès, Diourbel and Kaolack, which alone account for approximately 80% of new cases recorded this year.
This explanation deserves careful scrutiny. The increase in detected cases may indeed reflect better access to diagnosis rather than an epidemiological worsening. But it may also reveal a reservoir of untreated cases that had until then remained below the radar. The distinction between these two scenarios is fundamental to guiding the health response — and the APS communiqué does not allow for a definitive conclusion in favor of either one.
An officially surpassed threshold, but an ever-present disease
The programme coordinator is reassuring on one specific point: Senegal has reached the threshold of fewer than one case per 10,000 inhabitants, the criterion retained by the World Health Organization (WHO) for no longer considering leprosy a public health problem. A milestone that reflects the efforts made by the country and its partners over the decades.
But Dr. Guèye himself immediately tempers this good news: the disease is “still there, practically in all regions of Senegal.” This clarification is far from trivial. Crossing a statistical threshold does not mean eradicating a disease. Leprosy remains a lived reality for individuals and communities, particularly in villages such as Sowane — a former resettlement site for affected persons, located in the commune of Diouroup —, whose populations were the subject of data collection and assessments presented at the same CRD.
The PRCAL: a community resilience programme to watch
The Fatick meeting was notably focused on the presentation of the Programme de résilience des communautés affectées par la lèpre (PRCAL). This programme, whose precise outlines are not detailed in the available information, appears to aim at supporting populations historically affected by the disease — including those from former resettlement villages — in a process of reintegration and development.
The very existence of this programme serves as a reminder that leprosy cannot be reduced to a medical question. People affected by or cured of the disease face lasting social and economic stigmas, which can extend to their families and communities. Taking this dimension into account is a positive signal, but the concrete results of the PRCAL remain to be documented over time.
What the figures do not yet reveal
Several questions remain unanswered following this announcement. First, what is the situation of those diagnosed? Do they all have access to treatment — multidrug therapy, provided free of charge by the WHO — in a timely manner? The communiqué does not specify. Furthermore, among the new cases of 2025, how many present visible disabilities, a key indicator of how early the diagnosis was made? Late detection increases the risk of irreversible after-effects.
Moreover, if Dakar, Thiès, Diourbel and Kaolack account for the majority of national cases, this raises questions about urban and peri-urban dynamics that could facilitate transmission in contexts of density, mobility and precariousness.
| Year | Detected cases (Fatick) |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 7 |
| 2025 | 10 |
| Total | 26 |
Putting it in perspective
The data presented by the National Leprosy Control Programme, relayed by the APS, illustrate a classic tension in health communication: how to announce an increase in figures without fueling panic, while maintaining the necessary vigilance? Dr. Guèye’s response — attributing the rise to screening rather than a resurgence — is plausible, but has not yet been independently verified.
What will need to be monitored in the coming months: the evolution of the number of cases at the national level by the end of 2025, the concrete results of the PRCAL in the targeted communities, and the capacity of the health system to maintain active screening without losing sight of treated cases. Leprosy is a curable disease. Its persistence in Senegal, even at low levels, remains a reflection of inequalities in access to healthcare in certain rural areas.
Frequently asked questions
Is leprosy still considered a public health problem in Senegal?
According to Dr. Ndiaga Guèye, coordinator of the National Leprosy Control Programme, Senegal has reached the threshold of fewer than one case per 10,000 inhabitants set by the WHO, which means the disease is officially no longer classified as a public health problem. The coordinator himself nonetheless emphasizes that it remains present in almost all regions of the country.
Why is the number of detected cases increasing in 2025?
Health authorities attribute this increase to the intensification of mass screening campaigns, particularly in former hotspots and areas with a high concentration of cases. An increase in detections does not necessarily indicate a worsening of the epidemic, but may also reflect cases that had not yet been identified.
What is the PRCAL mentioned at the Fatick meeting?
The Programme de résilience des communautés affectées par la lèpre (PRCAL) was presented at the Fatick Regional Development Committee. It aims to support individuals and communities historically affected by the disease, particularly populations from former resettlement villages such as Sowane. Its precise modalities and results remain to be documented.
Is leprosy a curable disease?
Yes. Leprosy is effectively treated through multidrug therapy, a combined treatment provided free of charge by the World Health Organization. Early diagnosis makes it possible to prevent after-effects and permanent disabilities, which makes screening campaigns all the more crucial.
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