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Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015

KEY FACTS Joined Commonwealth: 1968 Population: 10,000 (2013) GDP p.c.: US$10,277 (2012) Life expectancy: 66 years (est 2012) Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 37 (2013) Largest contribution to mortality: Cardiovascular diseases General information Nauru is a small oval-shaped island in the western Pacific Ocean. Climate: The climate is tropical, with sea breezes. North-east trade winds blow March–October. Day temperatures range from 24°C to 34°C; average humidity is 80 per cent. Rainfall is erratic and often heavy; average annual rainfall is 2,060 mm. The monsoon season is November–February. With the destruction of the forested areas on the plateau land to enable phosphate mining, climate changes have been noted with extensive dry periods. If global warming causes sea levels to rise, the habitable low-lying land areas will be at risk from tidal surges and flooding. Environment: The most significant environmental issues are devastation of some 90 per cent of the island by intensive phosphate mining during most of the 20th century, and dependence on an ageing desalination plant and collection of limited rainwater for water supply. 222 Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 Population: 10,000 (2013); 100 per cent of people live in urban areas. The population growth rate stood at 0.4 per cent p.a. 1990–2013. The birth rate is estimated to be 27 per 1,000 people and life expectancy 66 years. The indigenous people of Nauru are Micronesians. Increased population since the 1960s has put extreme pressure on the coastal fringe surrounding the island, which is currently the only space available for housing. Economy: Nauru is classified as an upper-middle-income economy by the World Bank. Health Child and maternal health: Infant mortality in Nauru was 30 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2012, with an under-five mortality rate of 37 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013. In 2010 the three most prominent causes of death for children below the age of five years were prematurity (24 per cent), pneumonia (17 per cent) and congenital anomalies (16 per cent). Other contributory causes were birth asphyxia (14 per cent), and diarrhoea and injuries (both seven per cent). In the period 2009–13 Nauru had no reported maternal mortalities. There is no adjusted figure available for this period. Burden of disease: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for an estimated 70 per cent of all mortality in Nauru in 2008. The most prevalent NCDs in Nauru are cardiovascular diseases, which accounted for 40 per cent of total deaths across all age groups in 2008. Cancer, non-communicable variants of respiratory diseases and diabetes contributed nine per cent, five per cent and four per cent to total mortality, respectively (2008). Communicable diseases along with maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions accounted for an estimated 19 per cent of all mortality in 2008. As of 2011 there were no known cases of HIV/AIDS in the country. Nauru falls into a list of countries compiled by the World Health Organization in which malaria never existed or disappeared without specific measures. The estimated incidence of tuberculosis (TB) saw a significant decline in the period 2006–12, while estimated mortality from the disease showed a notable increase in this time. Figures for both are higher than they were in 1999. The most commonly diagnosed mental illness in Nauru is depression. The condition has been found to be common among the small population of asylum seekers awaiting entry to Australia. Health systems: In 2012 government expenditure on health was equivalent to US$491 per capita. In the most recent survey, conducted between 2007 and 2012, 97 per cent of births in Nauru were attended by qualified health staff. In 2012, 96 per cent of the country’s population had access to an improved water source and 66 per cent to adequate sanitation facilities. The most recent survey, conducted in the period 2000–11, reports that Nauru has 50 pharmaceutical staff per 100,000 people. Nauru


Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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