Air-borne related
Air Pollution Monitoring and Control: Mauritius monitors vehicle emissions, promotes hybrid/electric vehicles, and upgrades public transport to reduce air pollution?.
Climate Resilience and Air Quality: Energy-efficient and renewable energy projects reduce industrial emissions and improve air quality?.
Water-borne related
Clean Drinking Water Initiatives: Projects include desalination plants and improved water treatment facilities to prevent water-borne illnesses?.
Improving Sewerage Infrastructure: Efforts in Mauritius target the prevention of water-borne diseases like cholera, diarrheal diseases, and typhoid, primarily linked to poor water quality and sanitation. The government has emphasized improving sewerage infrastructure.
Disease Surveillance & Wastewater Monitoring: Since 2023, Mauritius has implemented environmental surveillance of wastewater in four designated sites. Samples are collected by Environmental Health Engineering Units for disease monitoring, specifically targeting potential polio outbreaks. This initiative strengthens waterborne disease surveillance by testing wastewater for pathogens and other health indicators?.
Vector-borne related
Dengue Fever and Chikungunya Surveillance: The country has integrated vector control efforts into its national health system, with data from vector-borne disease surveillance feeding into its Integrated Disease Surveillance Response (IDSR) system. This allows authorities to monitor and respond swiftly to outbreaks of diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and zika
Malaria Elimination Program: Mauritius achieved malaria-free status, but efforts continue to keep vector-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya at bay. The government’s vector control strategy involves ongoing mosquito surveillance and public health campaigns. For more information on this, refer to the Mauritius Health Ministry's Vector Control Strategy.
Vector Biology and Control Division (VBCD) of the MOHW: The overarching objective of the Division is to gear Mauritius to be free from resurging/newly emerging vector-borne diseases and to be prone to efficient control of existing vectors of such diseases in the country.
Food-borne related
Building Codex Mauritius Project: This project focuses on harmonizing the country's food safety regulations with international standards, specifically the Codex Alimentarius. The initiative, funded by the Codex Trust Fund and supported by the WHO, aims to prevent unsafe food from entering Mauritius by updating food standards. This includes the formation of 19 thematic groups that are reviewing existing food standards and comparing them with international benchmarks to develop new national standards, focusing on products that pose the greatest risk to health?
Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) System: Although initially designed for broader health surveillance, this system plays a role in foodborne disease tracking. It enables real-time monitoring and reporting of health emergencies, including outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. The government aims to expand the IDSR system across Mauritius and Rodrigues by training over 7,000 healthcare workers to improve early detection and response to such diseases?
(see also NCD, Health Promotion and Research Unit)
