The Institute in Mauritania

From 21-24 June 2011 Drs Attilio Pini, Flavio Sacchini and Massimo Scacchia visited the Centre National d'Elevage et Recherches Vétérinaires (CNERV) in Nouakchott, Mauritania, following a request from the Mauritanian government to initiate a scientific cooperation programme with the Istituto G. Caporale.

CNERV is the only veterinary laboratory in Mauritania. It employs 8 veterinarians and 32 technicians in the areas of biotechnology, virology, serology, food hygiene and parasitology. Its routine activities focus mainly on Rift Valley Fever (RVF), with testing of about 1000 blood samples every year from 12 sentinel farms. Around another 200 samples are provided to the laboratory for diagnosis of rabies, peste des petits ruminants (PPR), pasteurellosis in dromedaries and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP).

In 2010, RVF triggered a national emergency, causing not only significant damage to livestock but also deaths among the animals' owners. The direct involvement of the Ministry of Rural Development enabled the activation of a surveillance programme through the collection of serum from sentinel farms for testing by the laboratory.

During the mission, the Institute's delegation met the Minister of Rural Development of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the General Director of Veterinary Services, Baba Doumbia (CVO), and the CNERV Director, Isselmou Abdatt.

The Mauritanian representatives stressed their need to begin a scientific cooperation programme, as already discussed by the CVO with the Institute Director, Vincenzo Caporale, during the OIE's general meeting in Paris. The CVO reiterated their desire to work with the Institute in an OIE twinning project on CBPP, as well as in research into various dromedary diseases.