Gambiaj.com – (KEBEMER, SENEGAL) – Senegalese health authorities are investigating an outbreak of an unidentified illness in the northern region of the country, where 548 people have reported abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea since October 30.
The cases have been recorded in the Kebemer area, about 200 kilometres north of the capital, Dakar. However, health officials have yet to establish the exact cause of the illness, which has affected multiple people with similar symptoms.
The Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene has commissioned laboratory tests at the Pasteur Institute to determine whether the cases are linked to a common source of contamination.
Dr Eladj Mamadou Ndiaye, the ministry’s director of prevention, said the simultaneous occurrence of the symptoms suggested a shared source of infection, although investigators had not yet identified it.
Food and Water Under Investigation
Health authorities initially suspected certain food products and drinking water as possible sources of contamination.
However, preliminary tests have not established that the suspected beverages were bacteriologically unsafe, Dr. Ndiaye said.
Samples have also been collected from patients, including vomit and stool specimens, and are being examined at the Pasteur Institute to identify the possible infectious agent.
The investigation is expected to provide further clarity on the origin of the outbreak and the possible route of transmission.
No Deaths Reported
Despite the number of people affected, health authorities say the situation remains under control, with no reported deaths or signs of severe illness.
Dr Ndiaye said the absence of serious cases and the lack of an increase in infections were encouraging developments.
Authorities have not yet announced a definitive cause of the outbreak, pending the results of laboratory investigations.
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