Insights on Ebola Knowledge in Mauritania


In April 2015, D3 Systems commissioned its first nationally representative survey in Mauritania. A major theme of this study was to gather insights on awareness and knowledge about Ebola. In response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Mauritania banned entry of nationals from Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, and attempted to close its border with Mali and Senegal. Mauritania’s porous and conflict prone borders with Mali and Algeria, combined with frequent direct flights to major international cities such as Paris and Istanbul, increased the risk of rapid transmission of Ebola. The significant efforts to curtail movement appear not to have been equally matched with efforts to communicate the dangers of Ebola to all the residents of Mauritania. Findings suggest there is a lack of knowledge about virus transmission, and an evident gap in awareness of the disease between urban and rural respondents.

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Click image above to view results and infographic.

Fieldwork was conducted by STAT CONSULT, who completed 1,031 interviews with Mauritanians aged 18 and older from April 11th to April 23rd. Data were collected face-to-face on tablet devices using software from D3’s subsidiary, Research Control Solutions.