Health in Mauritania

Mauritania's health care infrastructure in the early 1980s consisted of a central hospital in Nouakchott, twelve regional hospitals, a number of health clinics, maternal and child care centers, dispensaries, and mobile medical units to serve the countryside.

Contagious diseases (such as measles and tuberculosis) and respiratory disorders were more prevalent in northern arid regions, whereas malaria, guinea worm infection, and schistosomiasis were more common in the Senegal River Valley.

The desert tended to be a healthier environment than the more tropical south, but several major diseases were common to all areas of the country.

The program, aimed at reducing infection from poliomyelitis, diphtheria, pertussis, and several other diseases, was reportedly meeting with some success.

The degree of malnutrition varied according to the success or failure of local crops, and some slight improvement was noted in early 1987.