Mauritius: migrant health guide
Advice and guidance on the health needs of migrant patients from Mauritius for healthcare practitioners.
Main messages
If the patient is new to the UK:
- explain to them how the NHS works and their entitlements to healthcare
- discuss how this compares to the healthcare system they’ve been used to
- follow guidance on how to comprehensively assess new migrant patients
- ensure that they are up to date with the UK immunisation schedule
- ask about any travel plans the patient may have to visit friends and relatives in their country of origin
Offer and recommend an HIV test to all adults, and consider offering an HIV test to infants and children who have recently arrived in the UK.
Offer to all sexually active individuals:
- a full sexual health screen
- safer sex health promotion advice
Due to an intermediate prevalence, consider screening for hepatitis B, particularly among those who have recently arrived.
There is a risk of typhoid infection.
Consider nutritional and metabolic concerns.
Infectious diseases
Immunisation
Ensure that all patients, especially children, are up to date with the UK immunisation schedule.
Tuberculosis
There is a low incidence of tuberculosis (TB) (fewer than 40 cases per 100,000), so:
- routine screening for TB is not required
- consider testing in patients (including children) who show signs and symptoms
- be aware that TB is a notifiable disease
Sexually transmitted infections and HIV
There is a high rate of HIV (greater than 1%), so:
- offer and recommend an HIV test to all adults according to adult HIV UK testing guidelines
- consider offering an HIV test to infants and children who have recently arrived in the UK according to child HIV UK testing guidelines
Although recent global data on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is not available, countries with high HIV rates tend to have higher rates of STIs, and the range of STIs encountered may vary from those in the UK, so offer to sexually active individuals:
- a full sexual health screen
- safer sex health promotion advice by referral to local genito-urinary medicine services.
Hepatitis B
There is an intermediate prevalence of hepatitis B, so:
- consider screening for hepatitis B, particularly those who have recently arrived
- offer screening for hepatitis B to all pregnant women during each pregnancy
- immunise appropriately babies born to mothers who are hepatitis B positive, and follow up accordingly
- be aware that the UK has a a universal infant immunisation programme for hepatitis B and a selective immunisation programme for higher risk groups
Hepatitis C
The prevalence of hepatitis C is higher than the UK, so consider screening for hepatitis C if other risk factors apply.
Typhoid
There is a high risk of typhoid infection, so:
- ensure that travellers are offered typhoid immunisation and advice on prevention of enteric fever
- remember enteric fever in the differential diagnosis of illness in patients with a recent history of travel to or from this country
Travel plans and advice
Ask opportunistically about any travel plans the patient may have to visit friends and relatives in their country of origin. People who travel to visit friends and relatives (VFR travellers) should visit the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for overseas travel advice and National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) for country specific travel advice prior to leaving the UK.
Women’s health
Reproductive health indicators
| Reproductive health indicator | UK | Mauritius |
|---|---|---|
| Number of children per woman (lifetime average) | 1.6 | 1.4 |
| Use of contraception (by woman of reproductive age or partner) | 71.7% | 39.6% |
Find out more about women’s health.
Nutritional and metabolic concerns
Anaemia
There is a moderate risk of anaemia in adults (estimated prevalence in non-pregnant women is 20 to 40%) and pre-school children (estimated prevalence is 20 to 40%), so:
- be alert to the possibility of anaemia in recently arrived migrants, particularly women and pre-school children
- test as clinically indicated
Vitamin D
Consider the possibility of vitamin D deficiency in people who may be at risk due to:
- darker skin
- those who are not often outdoors
- those who cover up most of their skin when outdoors
Vitamin A
There may be a risk of vitamin A deficiency.
Country profile
Health indicators and health care
WHO Global Health Observatory has a summary of health indicators and health care in Mauritius.
Culture, politics and history
BBC News and The World Factbook provide background information on the culture, politics and history of Mauritius.
Languages
| Language | Population (%) (2011 estimates) |
|---|---|
| Creole | 86.5 |
| Bhojpuri | 5.3 |
| French | 4.1 |
| Other | 2.6 |
| 2 languages | 1.4 |
| Unspecified | 0.1 |
‘Other’ includes English, one of the 2 official languages of the National Assembly, which is spoken by less than 1% of the population.
Source: The World Factbook.
Find out about language interpretation.
Religions
| Religion | Population (%) (2011 estimates) |
|---|---|
| Hindu | 48.5 |
| Roman Catholic | 26.3 |
| Muslim | 17.3 |
| Other Christian | 6.4 |
| None | 0.7 |
| Other | 0.6 |
| Unspecified | 0.1 |
Source: The World Factbook.
Migration to the UK
There were almost 39,000 people from Mauritius living in England and Wales at the time of the 2021 Census.
Last updated 27 April 2023 + show all updates
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The women's health reproductive health indicators data, vitamin D deficiency risk groups and migration to the UK statistics have been updated.
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Updated advice on testing for HIV and STIs, and risks of helminths and anaemia, based on current prevalence in Mauritius.
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First published.