Mauritius - Health

As of 1999, there were an estimated 0.9 physicians and 3.1 hospital beds per 1,000 people. In the same year total health care expenditure was estimated at 3.4% of GDP. In 2000, 100% of the population of Mauritius had access to safe water and 100% had adequate sanitation.

The average life expectancy in Mauritius in 2000 was 72 years and the infant mortality rate was 16 per 1,000 live births. As of 2002, the crude birth rate and overall mortality rate were estimated at 16.34 and 6.8 per 1,000 people respectively. The maternal mortality rate was 50 per 100,000 live births in 1998. As of 2000, 75% of married women (ages 15 to 49) were using contraception.

According to World Health Organization reports, 5.3% of children 3–6 years of age were anemic in 1995. Immunization rates for 1997 for children up to one year old were: diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus, 89%, and measles, 85%.

The island of Mauritius has a high prevalence of non-insulin dependent diabetes. Physical inactivity and glucose intolerance through obesity are suggested culprits.

The high rates of coronary heart disease seen in Asian Indians, African-origin Creoles, and Chinese in this rapidly developing country may point to future problems in this region. Most deaths are cardiovascular-disease related. In the mid-1990s, almost half (47.2%) of Mauritius's male population smoked. At the end of 2001 the number of people living with HIV/AIDS was estimated at 700 (including 0.1% of the adult population). HIV prevalence in 1999 was 0.08 per 100 adults.