Middle East and North Africa

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• Local laws and customs
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• Health
• General
 

Health

Medical facilities are extremely limited, particularly outside Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, where lack of communications makes dealing with an emergency very difficult. Clinics in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou charge for medical care (sometimes in Euros or US dollars), and may not accept foreign insurance cards. You should ensure that your insurance covers medical repatriation by air ambulance.

The weather can be very hot and dry. Fluid intake should be kept high, making sure enough salts are included.

In the 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 14,000 adults aged 15 or over in Mauritania were living with HIV; the prevalence rate was estimated at around 0.8% of the adult population. This compares to the prevalence rate in adults in the UK of around 0.2%. You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS.  You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. For more general information on how to do this see HIV and AIDS.

You should seek medical advice before travelling to Mauritania and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up-to-date.  For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention you should visit the websites of the National Travel Heath Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) and NHS Scotland's Fit For Travel or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

For more general health information see Travel Health and Swine flu.