In an interview with the Senegalese Press Agency (APS) on Monday, Dr. El Hadji Mamadou Ndiaye, Director of Prevention at the Ministry of Health and Social Action, said that after detecting a case of Mpox (monkey pox), an action plan was developed to organize the response to the disease.

"We have left the preparation stage. We have entered fully into the organization of the response, with the development of an action plan," said Dr. Ndiaye.

He announced that awareness-raising and communication activities will begin in the coming days. "We will begin communication activities, training agents and raising awareness before the end of this week or early next week," he said.

According to Mamadou Ndiaye, administrative documents have been sent to health districts to strengthen surveillance necessary for the prevention of smallpox.

For the Director of Prevention, this reported case must be secured and isolated before investigating his contacts with other people. "This has already been done," he specified.

Dr. Ndiaye also assured that "all contact cases," that is, people who shared a space with the person who tested positive, are being monitored for a period of twenty-one days.

"Contact cases are monitored through visits to the people concerned or by telephone," explained Mr. Ndiaye, adding that patients must also report themselves as soon as the first signs of the disease appear.

"The first case of Mpox reported in Senegal concerns a foreigner who entered the country last Tuesday," he concluded.