Oasis Malaria, Northern Mauritania1.

Jemila Deida,Yacoub Ould Khalef,Abdoullah Hmeyade,Frédéric Simard,Leonardo Basco,Rachida Tahar,Hervé Bogreau,Khadijetou Mint Lekweiry,Ali Ould Mohamed Salem Boukhary,Mohamed Lemine Ould Khairy

doi:10.3201/eid2502.180732

Abstract

A malaria survey was conducted in Atar, the northernmost oasis city in Mauritania, during 2015–2016. All febrile patients in whom malaria was suspected were screened for malaria by using rapid diagnostic testing and microscopic examination of blood smears and later confirmed by PCR. Of 453 suspected malaria cases, 108 (23.8%) were positive by rapid diagnostic testing, 154 (34.0%) by microscopic examination, and 162 (35.7%) by PCR. Malaria cases were observed throughout the year and among all age groups. Plasmodium vivax was present in 120/162 (74.1%) cases, P. falciparum in 4/162 (2.4%), and mixed P. falciparum–P. vivax in 38/162 (23.4%). Malaria is endemic in northern Mauritania and could be spreading farther north in the Sahara, possibly because of human-driven environmental changes. Further entomologic and parasitologic studies and monitoring are needed to relate these findings to major Anopheles mosquito vectors and to design and implement strategies for malaria prevention and control.

Highlights

A malaria survey was conducted in Atar, the northernmost oasis city in Mauritania, during 2015–2016
Sporadic suspected cases of malaria were reported in the oasis setting of Atar in the early 2010s, and the first Plasmodium vivax cases were confirmed by microscopic examination in 2012, but PCR was not performed for further confirmation
Northern Mauritania is part of the Sahara, the great desert that lies between sub-Saharan Africa, where P. falciparum malaria is highly endemic, and the northernmost zone along the Mediterranean Sea, where malaria was eliminated decades ago

Summary

Introduction

A malaria survey was conducted in Atar, the northernmost oasis city in Mauritania, during 2015–2016. Of 453 suspected malaria cases, 108 (23.8%) were positive by rapid diagnostic testing, 154 (34.0%) by microscopic examination, and 162 (35.7%) by PCR. Bogreau); Aix Marseille Université, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Marseille, Service de Santé des Armées, Vecteurs–Infections Tropicales et Méditerranéennes, Marseille, France Sporadic suspected cases of malaria were reported in the oasis setting of Atar in the early 2010s, and the first Plasmodium vivax cases were confirmed by microscopic examination in 2012, but PCR was not performed for further confirmation

Methods

Results

Conclusion