Description of the situation
11 March 2003
Disease Outbreak Reported
As of 8 March, the Ministry of Health, Mauritania has reported a total of 30 cases (11 laboratory confirmed), including 6 deaths of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF). All cases except three have been reported in the city of Nouakchott, the capital. The other cases were reported in Trarza, Brakna and Hodh Gharbi.
Laboratory confirmation was made by the WHO Collaborating Centre at the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal.
The Ministry of Health, WHO and partners from the public health sector have formed a Coordination Committee to respond to the outbreak.
The Ministry of Health teams are carrying out active case finding and contact tracing. A team of entomologists and virologists from the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal are travelling to Nouakchott, Mauritania. WHO has sent a complete kit of protective equipment for case management and hygiene to the country.