Dakar, Senegal. A fever has broken out in Senegal, killing 17 people and leaving more than 119 ill. (Some media outlets are citing 20 deaths, but these are not confirmed by official health ministry sources,) The disease, called Rift Valley Fever, comes through mosquitoes and livestock. Doctors warn that the danger is greatest for the hungry.
Malnutrition is spreading across West Africa. Aid groups say more than 30 million people do not have enough to eat. Children suffer most. A child who is weak from hunger is far less able to fight fever, malaria, or cholera than one who is fed.
In some rural towns and villages, food is scarce and clinics lack supplies. The fever finds easy ground. Families without proper meals are losing the battle before medicine can even arrive. One doctor in Senegal said simply, “The body without food cannot fight the fever.”
The outbreak is part of a wider struggle. Hunger strips away defenses, and disease walks in. With hospitals strained and outside support thin, the fever shows how quickly malnutrition can turn a crisis into a disaster.
Yet in the same region there are signs of hope. At Echofest in Senegal, farmers and innovators brought forward crops, natural pest controls, and nutrition projects meant to build stronger communities. The fever shows how hunger leaves the body open to disease, but the work in the fields points to a future where food and health are defended together.
Sources
featured photo credit: Adjoajo https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Senegal_-_2025_Ecofest.jpg
AP News. Senegal records 17 deaths in rare major outbreak of Rift Valley Fever. https://apnews.com/article/d749c04910cb6bc5d8ed69b85e70f7c9
WHO. Rift Valley Fever fact sheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/rift-valley-fever
Global Nutrition Report. Western Africa nutrition profile. https://globalnutritionreport.org/resources/nutrition-profiles/africa/western-africa/
UNICEF. Malnutrition in West and Central Africa. https://www.unicef.org/wca/topics/malnutrition
Reuters. Nearly 55 million people face hunger in West and Central Africa. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nearly-55-million-people-face-hunger-west-central-africa-2024-04-12/
APA News. Senegal confirms RVF outbreak amid new mpox cases. https://apanews.net/senegal-confirms-rvf-outbreak-amid-new-mpox-cases/
Arab News. Rift Valley fever outbreak kills 20 in Senegal. https://arab.news/yfxzx
