Mauritius News

Mauritius puts food safety high on the menu

As is the case for many Small Island Developing States, Mauritius imports the large majority of the food its population consumes, whilst also relying economically on exporting certain local foodstuffs. Ensuring the safety of its food imports and marketability of its exports is thus of vital importance to the country. The Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security and WHO Mauritius recently convened a workshop for the harmonization the country’s food legislation with Codex standards, an endeavour that carries significant benefits, both in terms of public health and trade opportunities.

Mauritius intensifies efforts to combat tobacco epidemic 

Port Louis – Sutrajeet Ghuburrun was 16 when he smoked his first cigarette. Over the next 40 years, the taxi driver from Bel Air, a village in the east of Mauritius, smoked between 15 and 20 cigarettes a day. Although he had long known about the harms of smoking, it was only in 2022, following a coronary angioplasty (a procedure to open narrowed arteries), that he finally quit. He is now more health conscious: the 56-year-old says he has adopted a daily walking regimen and tries to sensitize those around him against this highly destructive habit.

WHO supports Mauritius as it grapples with first dengue outbreak

Dengue fever is having a moment. According to WHO data, cases worldwide increased significantly in 2023, following a small decline during the three previous years. A potent cocktail of ongoing transmissions and a surge in new cases saw the worldwide number of dengue cases exceed five million, a near record high.