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Maldives HEALTH
Health Conditions
Life expectancy at birth in Maldives in 1994 was 63.2
years
for males, 66.1 for females, and 64.7 overall. The death
rate was
estimated at seven per 1,000 in 1994. Infant mortality was
estimated at 53.8 per 1,000 live births in 1994, a
dramatic
decrease from the rate of 120 per 1,000 in the 1970s.
Nutrition
is an important factor affecting health. In the 1980s, the
daily
average intake of calories was estimated at 1,781.
Waterborne and tropical communicable diseases are
prevalent
as the result of an inadequate drinking water supply. In
Maldives
the freshwater table is shallow and easily contaminated by
organic and human waste. To combat these problems, the
Male Water
Supply and Sewerage Project was launched in 1985. Its
completion
in 1988 allowed sewer pipes to collect sewage for pumping
into
the sea. However, in the outer islands no such sewage
systems
exist. The government has promoted the construction of
ferrocement rainwater tanks in recent years to help ensure safe
drinking water in the outer islands. Major diseases
include
gastroenteritis, typhoid, and cholera. Malaria,
tuberculosis,
filariasis, eye infections, poliomyelitis, venereal
diseases, and
leprosy are also reported. Since the late 1970s, a number
of
disease-eradication projects have been organized with
assistance
from the WHO.
Data as of August 1994
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