In 2018, UNAIDS carried out key research on HIV/AIDS in Mauritius. The research revealed important statistics on the key populations that are affected the most by the disease. The UNAIDS report found that 44.3% of HIV-positive individuals are injection drug users, 15% are female sex workers, 17.2% are men who participate in sexual intercourse with other men, 16.5% are prison inmates and 28% are transgender individuals. 

Another group that has been identified as a vulnerable group is young adults. From puberty to adulthood, young people become curious about drugs, alcohol and sexual experiences. In turn, this increases the risk of the individual getting infected by HIV. 

Protecting People With HIV/AIDS in Mauritius 

In the last decade, there has been great progress in protecting the human rights of individuals who have HIV/AIDS in Mauritius. The current protections in place for these individuals are as follows: 

• The Civil Status Act now ensures that it is not illegal for a Mauritian citizen to marry someone who is from another country who is HIV positive. 
• In 2006, the country established The Mauritius HIV and AIDS Act 2006 which does not criminalize the transmission of HIV. 
• Mauritius introduced The Equal Opportunities Act 31 2008 which aims to reduce the discrimination people with HIV experience due to their positive status and/or sexual orientation. 
• Lastly, the Mauritian government implemented The Employment Act 31 2008, which further protects individuals with HIV against discrimination and specifically focuses on the context of the workplace. The act prohibits harassment of any kind towards someone with HIV and fights against the stigma.

Recent Progress 

The most recent progress is in alignment with the wishes of the Joint United Nations Programme. By 2021, the Mauritian government aimed to meet the targets known as 90-90-90. This means that 90% of Mauritian citizens know their status, 90% of positive individuals are on cART treatment and 90% of the individuals following cART treatment are virally suppressed. Mauritius must call attention to various interventions to achieve these targets. 

• Ninety percent to know their status: This requires the country to focus on improving testing facilities and reducing the social stigma that surrounds the disease and testing for it. The UNAIDS report noted that this target could be achieved by specifically facilitating testing services to the key populations identified above and, for more deprived areas of the country, by setting up a testing caravan. This would expand the testing of HIV/AIDS in Mauritius.
• Ninety percent to be diagnosed to be on cART treatment: To ensure a large majority of individuals who have HIV/AIDS in Mauritius take the appropriate medication, educational intervention is necessary. Key steps recognized in the report were to educate people on the specific treatment and to reduce the stigma of it. In addition to this, the report recognized that an expansion of patient support would be required to ensure long-term adherence to the treatment, which would also help achieve the final target of 90% of individuals on treatment to be virally suppressed.
• Ninety percent to be virally suppressed: Patient support is very important in achieving this target, both individual and community/group support. Ensuring adherence to HIV/AIDS medication means a reduction of the stigma that surrounds HIV/AIDS in Mauritius.

Looking Ahead

Improving the social stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in Mauritius is a significant component of reaching the 90-90-90 target. The most recent report on HIV/AIDS in Mauritius establishes how the Ministry of Social Integration has set criteria to ensure that Mauritian citizens who have HIV/AIDS have social protection available to them. With developments in education on HIV/AIDS, Mauritius is showing great promise and progress. 

– Poppy Harris
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