Mauritania

The Carter Center helped Mauritania mobilize its resources to wipe out Guinea worm disease, an ancient waterborne parasitic infection.

Impact

When Mauritania established a national Guinea Worm Eradication Program in 1995, there were 1,240 reported cases across the country.
With support from the Center, health workers rode camels, horses, and donkeys to reach the most remote areas to provide training and report cases.
The last indigenous case of Guinea worm disease in Mauritania was reported in 2004.

Legacy

Guinea Worm

Current Status: Transmission stopped, June 2004
Certification of Dracunculiasis Elimination: 2009

How It Started

Since 1986, The Carter Center has led the international campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, working closely with ministries of health, local communities, and global health organizations. Mauritania established a national Guinea Worm Eradication Program in 1995.

Our Work and Methods

Because there is no cure or vaccine for Guinea worm disease, the Center’s strategy is to work with ministries of health to stop transmission by providing health education and helping to maintain political will.
To cross the deserts and reach isolated and remote areas, health workers rode camels, horses, and donkeys to implement their monthly training and case-reporting activities.
In 1996, the government of Japan agreed to partner with the Center to provide 200 wells in endemic areas of Mauritania.

Impacts

When Mauritania established a national Guinea Worm Eradication Program in 1995, five regions were endemic, with 122 villages reporting a total of 1,240 cases. By the following year, only three regions remained endemic.
Mauritania reported its last indigenous case in June 2004, and after 12 consecutive months with zero cases, disease transmission was considered stopped.