District de Touba: La triste histoire de Soda Ndiaye et de son fils
She suffered from malnutrition. So did her son. Her body bears the scars of a long struggle to feed herself and her child, but her eyes retain a calm assurance and the will to survive for her son. Around the table in the meeting room of the Serigne Mbacké Madina health center in the Touba health district, Soda Ndiaye, a mother of eight, told her story to journalists.
"Even during my pregnancy, I couldn't eat well. I've always been fragile, and even today, with my limited means, I can't follow the doctors' advice to the letter about feeding my son," she confides, her hands clutching her one-year-and-four-month-old child sitting on her lap.
She remembers that time when the little one cried constantly. Convinced that he was suffering mainly from the heat, she gave him water. But his body was getting thinner day by day. It was finally at the hospital that the diagnosis was made: the little one was suffering from malnutrition. Today, he receives regular medical follow-ups.
Their story is similar to that of many residents of Touba. Public health nurse Yacine Fall confirms that the prevalence of this pathology is more severe in the Touba district. "It is evolving in a see-saw pattern. In 2021, the rate was 6.11%. In 2022, it declined slightly to 3.81%. In 2023, it was 5.86%. But in 2024, there was a slight decline to 3.17%. However, with regard to these results, we must remain very cautious, because the health system has experienced some data retention on the part of our union partners. This means that sometimes, the fact that we don't have all the data can, perhaps, lower the prevalence," she explains.
According to her, there are cultural realities that mean that it is said that boys should not breastfeed beyond a year and a half. "This is not scientifically justified. Whether it is a boy or a girl, they must be breastfed for at least 24 months. If the child is weaned abruptly and has to eat adult food, there are often problems. They may refuse to eat and this can lead to malnutrition," she teaches. Before adding: "Poverty also means that, even if the woman is very well informed about how to feed her child, if she does not have the means, the child will not be well nourished."
Beyond the determinants, Yacine Fall presented the strategies implemented at the district level to combat this disease in the district of Touba, which has more than one million inhabitants and 41 health structures (9 health centers and 32 health posts). She indicates that at the level of health centers, there are nutritional rehabilitation centers (CREN) and, in the health posts, there are nutritional rehabilitation units (UREN) for care and rehabilitation.
"At the community level, we also have what we call community sites, with the support of our partners. Even in health centers, we have established community actors who systematically screen all children for malnutrition and provide vitamin A supplements," she says.
However, insists Yacine Fall, "we would not like to reach acute malnutrition or severe acute malnutrition which leads to complications."
Commentaires (13)
Sant Serigne Touba rek !
Il s'exclama en riant " Tout ça c'est pour toi ! " Xeweul rek barké Serigne Touba ! C'est en ce moment que j'ai commencé à manger ! Si vous aviez écrit une lettre à Serigne Mountakha Mbacké ou toute autre personne de la famille Mbacké, ils lui donneront plus de ce qu'elle espérait avoir ! Wassalam 🙏
"Ils adorent ce qui peut ni les profiter ni les nuire"
Un peu de discernement s’il vous plait. Touba ne saurait se résumer aux seules demeures des familles Mbacké. ON vous dit que le district compte plus d’un millions d’âmes et apparemment on ne mange pas à sa faim dans toutes les familles. Les familles dont vous nous vendez l’hospitalité reçoivent de l’argent sans travailler y compris de la part de l’Etat qui les gave avec l’argent du contribuable. En clair, vous nous dites « ils n’ont qu’à se comporter en vrais miskins et la confrérie leur donnera à bouffer » ?
Je suis tout à fait d’accord avec vous sur le constat. Reste à avancer sur la résolution du problème et là il y a des tabous à faire tomber. Même chez ceux qui ont des revenus, il arrive souvent que les moyens du foyer ne suffisent pas pour nourrir toute la famille nombreuse. Et ce n’est pas que la nutrition qui pose problème, l’éducation des enfants aussi devient problématique.
Il faut qu’on parle de contraception dans ce bled. Ce n’est pas que l’affaire des femmes.
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