Does the State Department indicate anyone from any country? (I haven't checked the site, so haven't personally read the info). Often it mentions if someone is traveling from a country where Yellow Fever is prevalent. Rules can be different comming from Western countries, versus Eastern and Middle Eastern.

So I would suggest you go to the horses mouth - the Mauritania Embassy or Tourist Office, for specifics, rather than even your aunt.

Best bet for this kind of info are the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/travel/) and the World Travel Guide (for Mauritania: http://www.wtg-online.com/data/mrt/mrt080.asp) The latter seems to have superb info and I believe it is keep fairly up to date.

I do not believe airlines do health checks (only for passports and visas) and most countries do not check health before issuing visas.

Having said that, it appears everyone is right as the WTG says: "A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers over 1 year of age, except travellers arriving from a non-infected area and staying less than 2 weeks in the country."

Mort iportant: "cholera is a serious risk in this country and precautions are essential. Up-to-date advice should be sought before deciding whether these precautions should include vaccination...'

I just came back from vacationing in Kenya, South Africa, Singapore and Hong Kong. After my visit to Kenya which is listed on the CDC as yellow fever zone. It was some of the other countries immigration officeres that asked for vaccination proof after seeing my stamps from Kenya. South Africa and Singapore did actually check the cert. Hong Kong and US officials never did. I was also told that I should have the cert with me for a year after my visit to Kenya when travelling internationally as some countries may want to examine it upon entering the country.