Senegal

Senegal is located in western Africa, on the Atlantic coast south of the Senegal River. It is bordered by Mauritania to the north with Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south. The Gambia, a small independent nation, follows the track of the Gambia River from its outlet on the Atlantic for about 300 kilometers (186 miles) inland, surrounded by Senegal on all three sides. An attempt to unite with The Gambia failed in the late 1980s. Although Senegal has had troubles with both economic and political stability over the years, it remains one of the more peaceful countries in Africa.

The population is 12,522,000 and growing at 2.65 percent annually. The birth rate is 37.4 per 1,000 and the death rate is 10.96 per 1,000. Median age is 18.7. Life expectancy is 55.34 years for males and 58.09 years for females. Gross national income is $710 per capita, with 22 percent living on less than $1 a day. The economy is marked by high rates of unemployment, with 48 percent of the overall population and 40 percent of urban youths out of work.

Malaria is the chief cause of morbidity and mortality in Senegal, with 500,000 cases and 5,000 deaths annually. Other communicable diseases include dengue fever, yellow fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, schistosomiasis, meningococcal meningitis, and cholera. Overall, 76 percent of Senegalese have access to safe water and 57 percent have sanitary waste disposal, although these figures drop sharply in rural areas.

Some observers consider Senegal a rare AIDS success story for Africa. The adult prevalence rate is

0.9 percent, with about 61,000 Senegalese infected. The tuberculosis rate is similarly low, at 79 cases per [Page 1531]100,000. The population is 94 percent Muslim and carries conservative sexual ideals. Senegal has put in place stringent tests of the blood supply and monitors sex workers for AIDS and other sexually-tranmitted diseases. They also have strong educational campaigns that involve considerable community involvement.

Senegal has high child mortality rates, stemming largely from the prevalence of malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory disease. The current mortality rate among infants younger than one is 77 deaths per 1,000; for children aged 1–5, the rate almost doubles, to 136 deaths per 1,000. Immunization rates range from 7585 percent. Despite widespread poverty, there are low rates of malnutrition and stunting.

Women face significant health risks during their childbearing years. Fifty-three percent of Senegalese marry before the age of 18; the total fertility rate is five children per woman. Only 11 percent of women use contraception. The maternal mortality rate is among the highest in the world, at 1,200 deaths per 100,000 live births. Twenty percent of women undergo some form of female genital mutilation in adolescence. Education of girls is not a high priority, and only 28 percent of women are literate. There has been a troubling rise in HIV cases among women, as they are more vulnerable to infections by their husbands and have little voice to demand condom use or abstinence.

Hospital facilities have improved in recent years, but remain concentrated in the capital city of Dakar, which is home to 22 percent of the population. The country has some of the lowest ratios of medical professionals to population, with seven physicians and 35 nurses per 100,000 people. Additionally, 75 percent of doctors and 43 percent of nurses work in Dakar. Consequently, many Senegalese rely on traditional healers.

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