CONGRESS OF DERMATOLOGY
February 14-15, 2025 in Naoukchott, Mauritania
Mariem Kébé (1), Abdellahi Dah Cherif (1),Salma Yahya (1), Ghallat Ebnou (1), Taleb Khiyar (1), Mohamed Lemine Amar (3), Seydna Oumar Ely (2), Mamadou Ball (1),
- National Hospital Center. Nouakchott, Mauritania.
- National Oncology Center. Nouakchott, Mauritania.
- Amitié Hospital Center, Nouakchott, Mauritania.
The Fondation Mauritanienne de Lutte Contre les Maladies de la Peau and the Mauritanian Society of Dermatology (SMD) jointly organized a congress, which provided an important scientific platform for discussing issues of dermatological diseases in general and neglected tropical dermatoses in particular.
This conference provided an opportunity to exchange experiences and knowledge, which will contribute to improving healthcare for people suffering from skin diseases in Mauritania. The conference featured 14 brilliant speakers from Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, France, Guinea, and Egypt.
The choice of “Neglected Tropical Dermatoses” as the main theme of this event reflects the awareness of the importance of tackling these diseases which affect the lives of a large part of the population, particularly in the most vulnerable areas with a high socio-economic impact, disability and discrimination.
These diseases include scabies, fungal infections, leishmaniasis, leprosy and other skin diseases that require special attention such as albinism, xeroderma pigmentosum and complications related to the practice of artificial depigmentation.
The “Fondation Mauritanienne de lutte contre les Maladies de la Peau” is a Solidarity Organization (SO) which results from a voluntary partnership between the CEO of the BCI, the SMD and with the support of Professor DUBERTRET.
The objective of the “Fondation Mauritanienne de Lutte contre les Maladies de la Peau” is to provide care to the underprivileged populations of Nouakchott and its suburbs suffering from dermatosis.
The Foundation’s activities from January 1, 2023, to June 31, 2024, provided care to more than 3,000 patients with free medication. This care is provided by eight dermatologists.
The Foundation plans to increase the number of its consultations and also to seek other funding.
Its main objective is to help our vulnerable populations by treating the dermatoses they suffer from. It also plans to extend its care mainly to albino and xeroderma pigmentosum patients.
To effectively combat skin diseases, the Ministry of Health has implemented a National Skin Disease Management Program, which is part of improving health services and bringing care closer to vulnerable populations. This program collaborates closely with the Skin Disease Foundation and the Mauritanian Society of Dermatology to ensure synergy of action.
En effet le 11 Mars 2025, une journée de sensibilisation et de consultation gratuite a été organisée au niveau de la fondation Mauritanienne de lutte contre les maladies de la peau en collaboration entre l’association des personnes vivantes avec l’albinisme, le programme national de prise en charge des dermatoses, la SMD et la fondation d’ophtalmologie.
To streamline specialized human resources in dermatology, the SMD, in collaboration with the Pierre Fabre Foundation, has been implementing a teledermatology project since 2018. This project aims to improve the decentralized management of dermatoses in inland regions of the country where there are no dermatologists by using information and telecommunications tools (Teleexpertise: store and forward). This project has enabled the treatment of more than 12,000 patients since its inception. Note that Mauritania has 22 dermatologists as of March 2025, only 1 of whom practices outside the capital.
239 / 5 000
In perspective, to achieve effective results, it is necessary to conduct scientific studies to provide reliable data on the extent of these diseases, which will help to develop effective strategies to combat them.
In the same context, it is necessary to emphasize the importance of awareness and health education through the national dermatosis management program in collaboration with the Ministry of Health’s communication unit, as well as the national health education program. These different entities should intensify awareness campaigns to ensure that accurate health information reaches citizens and provide them with the necessary advice to prevent dermatological diseases.
