Mauritania is a West African country largely dominated by desert terrain, with much of its land covered by the Sahara. Its population is widely dispersed, with many people living in remote and hard-to-reach communities.
We have worked with the Ministry of Health (MoH) since 2013, supporting the delivery of treatment for parasitic diseases.
The National Control Programme for Neglected Tropical Diseases (Programme National de Lutte Contre les Maladies Tropicales Négligées, PLNMTN) has led national efforts to tackle schistosomiasis (SCH) and soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) since 2010.
Schistosomiasis transmission is particularly high along the Senegal River Valley in the south, where irrigation, flooding, and frequent human contact with water create ideal conditions for the disease to spread. However, focal transmission also occurs in arid regions, particularly around oases and isolated water bodies.
Population movement, including pastoralists moving between water points, can increase exposure and contribute to ongoing transmission.
In 2024/25, we supported the delivery of 12,104 treatments against SCH.
The current treatment strategy includes all school-aged children (SAC) aged 5–14 years in endemic districts. Annual treatment with praziquantel is delivered through mass drug administration with the goal of eliminating schistosomiasis as a public health problem.
https://unlimithealth.org/eliminating-ntds/mass-drug-administration/Treatment is delivered to children in public schools as well as “mahadras”, the religious (Quranic) schools of Mauritania, helping to ensure broad coverage and reach children who might otherwise be missed. Adults can also access treatment at health centres.
We support programme monitoring and evaluation to ensure that treatments reach those most in need. This includes generating data to guide treatment planning and ensure high treatment coverage among SAC, conducting coverage surveys to verify reported results, assessing programme performance against World Health Organization targets, and understanding why some people miss or refuse treatment.
These insights are important to assess programme performance and improve future treatment delivery.
In 2025, we supported a national impact assessment using a geostatistical approach to measure the effect of repeated MDA on infection levels. The survey provided estimates of disease prevalence, helping to identify transmission hotspots with greater precision. The results are helping the MoH to refine treatment strategies, target high-risk areas, and investigate persistent transmission to support progress towards control and elimination.
In 2025, we held a workshop with the MoH to develop an initial roadmap for sustainable financing.
This work is supporting the MoH to explore ways to allocate limited resources more efficiently and reduce reliance on external funding in the long-term.
“These infections are due to several factors, including agricultural activities, bathing, as well as fishing. Many respond well to treatment, while others continue to be exposed due to their daily activities linked to these waters. This exposure contributes to the persistence of the disease.”
Sidi Ould Mohamed Community Leader | Tagant, Mauritania
Your support will help deliver life-changing treatment to 600,000 people, including 400,000 children, who have little choice but to be exposed to parasite-infected water. All donations will be matched up to £50,000.
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