Geographical Locations - Mauritius

• (Statistical) Number of Inhabitants per Doctor: 4,415
• CIA World Factbook : Mauritius

Organisations and Networks

UN and Multinational

• WHO
  - WHO Country Profile - Mauritius
  - WHO - Tobacco control: country profiles Mauritius
  - WHO - Environmental Burden of Disease: Country Profile – Mauritius
  - WHO – Malaria Country Profile – Mauritius
• WHO Regional Office for Africa
  Located in Brazzaville, Congo
• UNDP in Mauritius and the Seychelles
• Office of the UN Coordinator in Mauritius and the Seychelles

Government

• Mauritius Ministry of Health and Quality of Life
• Mauritius Institute of Health
• Portal to the Republic of Mauritius
• Republic of Mauritius Central Statistics Office

Non-Government

Academic Institutions

• University of Mauritius

National Policy and Related Documents

• National Plan of Action For Nutrition, 2009-2010
  "The National Plan of Action for Nutrition aims at addressing the needs of a wide range of service providers and other sectors involved in nutritional issues. It points out priority interventions for the Ministry of Health & Quality of Life and also sets actions which need to be implemented by other agencies. The National Plan of Action for Nutrition further puts emphasis on the need for partnerships outside the health sector and offers guidance for inter-sectoral and inter-Ministerial actions as well as actions amongst other agencies, Governmental and non-governmental organizations and the food industry. The following broad priority areas for action were identified following a consultative workshop involving Government agencies and other stakeholders, including the civil societies and the private sector: Prevention and management of chronic diseases; Maintaining a healthy weight for all age groups; and Nutrition labelling." [Final Report, May 2009]
• The National Sexual & Reproductive Health Strategy and Plan of Action, 2009-2015
  "There is growing evidence that whilst sexual and reproductive health information and services are accessible and freely available, young people, women and men do not make optimum use of the services. Thus, the National Sexual & Reproductive Health Strategy and Plan of Action 2009-2015 aims at harmonizing activities and promoting synergy in the use of resources in order to reach all people, especially the underserved groups… [It] is an important milestone in the Government’s efforts to strengthen its reproductive health programme." [Republic of Mauritius, Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, November 2008]

Reports, Guidelines, and Projects

• Cancer incidence in the Republic of Mauritius - 5 Years Review 1997 to 2001
  6484 new cases of cancer have been registered in Mauritius during 1997-2001 corresponding to Age-Standardized Incidence Rates (ASR world) of 99.9 per 100,000 in men and 121.1 per 100,000 in women. The commonest sites of cancer in men were colo-rectal cancer (9.5%) followed closely by oral cavity & pharynx (9.4%) and prostate (8.8%). In women breast cancer was, by far, the main site (28%, ASR 31.7) ahead of cervical cancer (11.7%) and colorectal (5.7%) and leukaemias (4.7%). Comparisons with figures from neighbouring countries show much lower rates in Mauritius for both sexes. [author abstract] [Internet Journal of Medical Update Jan-Jun 2006; 1(1): 8-13]
• Chikungunya Fever, Mauritius, 2006
  "When an outbreak of chikungunya fever swept across several Indian Ocean islands in 2005 and 2006, the international public health community’s attention was drawn to chikungunya virus (genus Alphavirus, family Togaviridae). Among those areas affected was the Republic of Mauritius, located ≈900 km east of Madagascar, which has an estimated population of 1,250,000 and comprises the main island of Mauritius (area ≈1,865 km2) and several outlying islands including Rodrigues (≈180 km2). Mauritius Island had an initial outbreak of ≈3,500 suspected cases of chikungunya fever from April through June 2005 (1). With the onset of the drier season of winter, transmission of the virus subsided, but increased again during 2006. An outbreak began on Rodrigues Island in February 2006. The intensity of chikungunya fever outbreaks on Mauritius and Rodrigues Islands led us to explore the extent to which these outbreaks might have contributed to overall death rates." [Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol. 14, No. 2, February 2008, pp.337-338]
• Decreasing prevalence of cigarette smoking in the middle income country of Mauritius: questionnaire survey
  Objectives: To describe changes in the prevalence of cigarette smoking in the middle income country of Mauritius from 1987 to 1998, and to relate these changes to legislative and health promotion efforts over the same period. Design: Questionnaire survey. Setting: Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean with a population of about 1.2 million (about 70% south Asian, 2% Chinese, and 28% Creole). Participants: Data were obtained from 5072 participants in 1987, 6573 in 1992, and 6281 in 1998. Main outcome measures: Prevalence of current smoking in 1987, 1992, and 1998, sales of cigarettes in Mauritius, and information on activities for control of tobacco. Results: Self reported cigarette smoking has been decreasing in Mauritius since 1987, with the largest decrease between 1987 and 1992. From 1987 to 1998 smoking prevalence decreased by 23% in men and 61% in women. Smoking decreased across all age and ethnic groups and across different levels of income and education. Sales of cigarettes also decreased in line with smoking prevalence. Conclusions: The introduction of cigarette taxes, a limited health promotion programme, and the absence of massive promotional campaigns by the sole tobacco company on Mauritius have led to a striking and continued decrease in smoking prevalence and cigarette consumption on the island. [author abstract] [BMJ, vol. 321. 5 August 2000: 345–9]
• Dietary Westernisation: conceptualisation and measurement in Mauritius
  Objectives: The aims of the study were to provide information that will contribute to conceptualising what is called ‘dietary Westernisation’, and to provide an example of measuring it on an individual level. Design: Food consumption frequency and demographic data on adults in Mauritius were examined in 1988, 1992 and 1998. In 1992, a 24-hour recall was also included. The cross-sectional samples consisted of 1115 (age 25–74 years) Mauritians in 1987/88, 1917 (age 30–74 years) in 1992 and 2239 (age 20–74 years) in 1998. Principal components analysis was carried out on daily consumption frequencies of 10 indicator foods (white rice, white bakery bread, pulses, processed meat, poultry, fresh/frozen fish, butter, margarine, whole milk and skimmed/low-fat milk). Correlations between dietary patterns and selected food consumption frequencies were examined in each survey year. Results: Four dietary patterns were identified as being related to dietary Westernisation. The Traditional dietary pattern was characterised by higher consumption frequencies of Indian breads, salted/smoked fish and sugar-sweetened tea. The Western dietary pattern was characterised by higher consumption frequencies of cakes/pastries, meat and many Western fast foods like burgers, but, surprisingly, also by brown bread, breakfast cereals and salad. The Bread/butter dietary pattern predominantly described more frequent consumption of bread compared with rice. The Margarine/milk dietary pattern was inconsistently related with staple foods. Younger, educated and wealthier Mauritians appeared to adopt Western dietary patterns earlier. Conclusions: This study suggests that relatively few indicator foods are needed for measuring dietary Westernisation. Dietary Westernisation in a non-Western country may also include shifts towards voluntary consumption of healthier foods. [author abstract] [Public Health Nutrition: 8(6), 608–619 (2005)]
• High incidence of type 2 diabetes and increasing conversion rates from impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance to diabetes in Mauritius
  Objective: To describe the incidence of different stages of glucose intolerance in a population from Mauritius followed over 11 years. Research design, methods and subjects: Population-based surveys were undertaken in the multi-ethnic nation of Mauritius in 1987, 1992 and 1998 with 5083, 6616 and 6291 participants, respectively. Questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, and a 2-h 75-g oral glucose tolerance test were included. Three cohorts aged between 25 and 79 years with classifiable glucose tolerance data were identified; 3680 between 1987 and 1992, 4178 between 1992 and 1998, and 2631 between 1987 and 1998. Glucose tolerance was classified according to WHO 1999 criteria. Results: The incidence rate of type 2 diabetes was higher between 1992 and 1998 than between 1987 and 1992. In men, the incidence was similar between cohorts (24.5 and 25.4 per 1000 personyears) whereas the incidence increased in women (23.3 and 16.4 per 1000 person-years). The incidence of diabetes peaked in the 45–54 year age group and then plateaud or fell. The incidences of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) decreased in both men and women. Of normoglycaemic subjects at baseline, more women than men developed IGT and more men than women developed IFG. Of those labelled as IFG in 1987, 38% developed diabetes after 11 years. The corresponding figure for IGT was 46%. Conclusions: In this study, we report changes in incidence rates of glucose intolerance over a 11-year period. In particular, differences between men and women were observed. The increased incidence of IGT in women compared with men, and increased incidence of IFG in men compared with women was consistent with, and explains the sex biases seen in the prevalences of these states. [author abstract] [Journal of Internal Medicine 2004; 256: 37–47]

Educational Resources

• CDC Traveler's Health East Africa
• Library of Congress, Country Study: Mauritius
• Southern Africa Research and Documentation Centre
  SARDC is an independent regional information centre involved in the collection, production and dissemination of information about the SARDC region, with offices in Harare, Maputo and Dar es Salaam; and network partners in all SARDC member states including Mauritius.