Establishing local veterinary pharmacies managed by veterinary auxiliaries in Mauritania

In the Tiris Zemmour region in northern Mauritania the black market of veterinary drugs is a serious public health problem.

In almost all the shops in the market areas it is possible to buy antiparasitic drugs and veterinary antibiotics. Such drugs are used by herders without a specific medical prescription and they are often misused as they are considered as a tool for prevention rather than cure. Many traders indeed promote such products like vaccines.

In order to limit traffic of drugs of dubious origin, and to offer farmers a system of permanent education and awareness on drug use, three small pharmacies were established in the Tiris Zemmour region. The pharmacy managers are veterinary auxiliaries trained under a project from the NGOs VSF Italy and Africa 70. In addition to selling drugs, pharmacy managers are responsible for providing information to farmers about appropriate use of medications (dose, route of administration and respect of withdrawal times).

This experience has shown not only to be sustainable from the economic point of view but to respond in a concrete way to a real issue of Tiris Zemmour breeders.