It's official! The Spina-Hydro Senegal Association is launched. The official launch ceremony was held this Saturday, October 25, 2025, on the sidelines of the celebration of World Hydrocephalus Day. This meeting, sponsored by the First Lady, Marie Khone Faye, was chaired by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, Mr. Serigne Mbaye. She noted the presence of Ms. Borso Ndao Dramé, President of Spina-Hydro Senegal; the Honorable Member of Parliament Anta Babacar Ngom Diack; Ms. Diouma Tirera, General Administrator of the Autonomous Port of Dakar Foundation; Mr. Mactar Sakho, Secretary General of the Mediator of the Republic; Ms. Ndèye Fatou Ba, Director of Child Protection and representative of the Minister of Family, Social Action and Solidarity; of Dr. Dialo Diop, representing the President of the Republic; among others.

In Africa, approximately 180,000 new cases of hydrocephalus are recorded each year.

On the occasion of this historic event in Senegal, the president of Spina-Hydro Senegal spoke about her initiative, which is dedicated to raising awareness and supporting families affected by Spina Bifida and hydrocephalus. "The launch of Spina-Hydro Senegal is not just the inauguration of an association. It is the affirmation of a collective choice, that of a fairer, more inclusive, and more united Senegal. Together, let us make our country an African and international model of inclusion. Together, let us break the taboos. Together, let us strongly affirm Senegal without the H," emphasized Ms. Borso Ndao Dramé.

"The figures, unfortunately, speak for themselves. Every year, several hundred thousand children are born with these infections worldwide. In Africa, approximately 180,000 new cases of hydrocephalus are recorded each year, and more than one in 1,000 children are born with Spina Bifida. These figures are not abstract; they reflect human, medical, and social realities that we must face. It is essential to remember this. These diseases are scientifically proven and have nothing to do with a curse, a fault, or a mystical belief. They are a matter of science, biology, and not social inevitability. Lifting this taboo is already a decisive step toward inclusion and dignity," she revealed.

According to Ms. Dramé, being the parent of a child with a disability is a very special journey. "Transforming fears into energy, pain into struggle, and isolation into solidarity—that is the meaning of our collective commitment. Our role, through Spina-Hydro Senegal, is precisely to accompany this journey. To support children so they can flourish according to their own abilities, to support parents so they find support and strength, to support society so that attitudes change and disability is no longer a condemnation but a challenge that we will overcome together," the president of Spina-Hydro Senegal suggested.

Ms. Dramé explains that her initiative was born from a long-standing personal and collective commitment, fueled by more than 10 years of advocacy, with a holy conviction: to make the voices of these children and their often invisible families heard and to give them back their rightful place in society. "It is from this commitment that a promising collaboration with the International Federation of Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus was born. A collaboration that opens new perspectives for action, scientific exchange, and partnership on a global scale in order to better make the voice of Senegal and Africa heard in the fight for inclusion and dignity," she explained.

Through this dynamic, she maintains that Senegal is positioning itself as "a pioneering actor in West Africa, determined to make disability no longer an inevitability but a national and universal cause driven by human dignity."

In Senegal, nearly 450 children will be operated on between 2024 and 2025

Coming to chair the meeting on behalf of Minister Ibrahima Sy, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene revealed that in Senegal, hospital statistics show nearly 450 children operated on between 2024 and 2025. A way, for Mr. Serigne Mbaye, to say that the treatment of these pathologies is effective in the country.

Despite this effectiveness, the minister's representative asserts that challenges still remain. These include the failure to include spina bifida and hydrocephalus in the departmental agenda, the low decentralization of healthcare provision due to a lack of human resources and technical platforms, and the high cost of care. According to Dr. Diop, director of disease control at the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, treatment for these pathologies is effective in only seven of the country's 14 regions.

Faced with these challenges, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health believes that collective commitment must be strengthened, both in terms of primary prevention and early diagnosis, communication and the establishment of a quality healthcare offering that allows accessibility and equity throughout the national territory.

“The causes of these pathologies are not very well known in Senegal.”

Serigne Mbaye also informed that Spina Bifida is a pathology linked to an anomaly in the development of the nervous system, occurring in the early stage of pregnancy and marked by a defect in closure (…) which is very often accompanied, in its development, by the occurrence of hydrocephalus which is also a neurological pathology characterized by an excess accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain.

According to him, the causes of these pathologies are not very well known in Senegal but the deficiency in Vitamin B9, in folic acid and the taking of certain medications during pregnancy are strongly incriminated.

These pathologies Spina Bifida and hydrocephalus, which occur in our children, in addition to the disability, also constitute a scourge on the family and society as a whole. This is why, since 2011, the General Assembly of the International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus has chosen October 25 as World Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Day. And the purpose of this day is to raise awareness and help better understand Spina Bifida and hydrocephalus as well as the means to prevent them. It is also a way to defend and promote the rights of people affected by these pathologies. This world day has been celebrated in Senegal since 2012.

The Minister's representative further stated that this year's theme, "Accelerating Action for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus," highlights the urgent need to advance advocacy, policies, and practices that ensure the full participation of people with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus in all aspects of life.

In this regard, Serigne Mbaye welcomed and congratulated Ms. Borso Ndao Dramé for this wonderful first. "Borso, thanks to your commitment, you have been able to mobilize associations, health professionals, community stakeholders, researchers, and you have invited decision-makers around this noble cause. This event offers us the precious opportunity to join forces to accelerate action, bridge persistent gaps, and strengthen national and international solidarity around the Spina Bifida and hydrocephalus community," he said.

Thus, a panel was organized around the theme "Spina Bifida and hydrocephalus: understand, act and include". Here, the panelists, namely: Professor Momar Codé Ba, neurosurgeon; Professor Moustapha Ndiaye, neuropediatrician; Doctor Aloyse Benoît Diouf, director of the Talibou Dabo center; and Colonel Seydina Ousmane Ba, director of the CNAO, shared their experiences and best practices before considering innovative solutions that will promote equality and allow people affected to live fully and more independently.