Senegal - Health
Vaccine Preventable Diseases
Vaccination against yellow fever is obligatory if arriving from an infected area. Cruisers are asked to show a proof of vaccination.
Recommended immunisations: Cholera, Diphtheria, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Malaria, Meningitis, Polio, TB, Tetanus, Typhoid & Yellow Fever.
Food and Water Concerns
Water supply and Sanitation in Senegal has a relatively high level of access compared to the average of Sub-Saharan Africa. Potable water is widely available and over have the population have access to basic sanitation.
Mosquito-borne Diseases
Malaria: exists all year throughout the country. There is less risk from January – June in central/western regions.
Dengue Fever: In November 2018 the CDC had advised that there was an outbreak of dengue fever in Senegal and that the best protection was achieved by avoiding mosquito bites. The latest information is available on the CDC website here.
Zika Virus: is present in Senegal and precautions should be taken if pregnant to avoid exposure. Full details can be found on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website here.
Other Diseases
Ebola: There was an outbreak of Ebola in 2018 but the World Health Organistion (WHO) were hopeful that the outbreak would be declared over by November 2018. The latest information can be found on the WHO website here.
Rabies: It can be present in dogs, bats and other mammals in Senegal. The CDC recommends vaccination for certain groups, the details of which can be found here.
Take care as water in the harbours is very polluted. Be sure to wash your hands after handling wet lines or harbour water. Do not rinse your deck with raw water.
Last updated: November 2018
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CASAMANCE EXPERIENCE:
We arrived in Zinguichor directly from The Gambia without going to Dakar first. I can not recommend anyone else to do this. Overall the experience with the authorities here has been horrible. Mandatory military checkpoints are along the river and tributaries, we were not told by the customs or military they were required but we got in trouble each time we passed one (they are difficult to see).
Once we were forced to stop sailing and anchor, another time we were forced to go back 2NM to a dangerous jetty where the current pinned us for 6 hours. The military all carry large machine guns in an aggressive manner and are by no means friendly or provide an explanation for these requirements.
The Port authority in Zinguichor demanded 160€ at check in showing us a paper saying the money is for a river cruising permit. After returning many times, and explaining we cannot afford such a large fee and undergoing a very stressful and unpleasant day, the port captain in the end chose to waive the fee when we said that we would leave Senegal directly.
After going to 3 offices for customs, we went to the airport, where a plain clothed police man demanded we pay again for a visa for the country. We showed him online there are no visas needed for our passports, he flashed his gun at us and told us to pay him what we thought it was worth. We declined again and asked for any document saying that the fees are required, he said it doesn’t exist.
In the end we didn’t pay but felt extremely uncomfortable, and he put an exit stamp in our passport for only 1 week as punishment forcing us to leave by this date because we refused to pay his bribe. The local people here are friendly and the river is beautiful but our experience is severely marred by the military and authorities. It is hard to feel welcome when treated like this.
On the other hand The Gambia was very pleasant, we had to pay 40€ each to enter. We wish we had skipped Senegal and stayed longer in The Gambia.
Visa regulations have again changed, as of May 1 2015 the biometric visas are no longer required for most nationalities and you can just get an entry stamp upon arrival.
Visa regulations have been changed:
Valid from 1 July 2013, Senegal requires visa for ALL visitors except West Africans (CEDEAO countries + Morocco and Mauretania). The visa type is biometrical so honorary consulates will not be able to issue them.