Geographical Locations - Cook Islands

• (Statistical) Number of Inhabitants per Doctor:
• CIA - World Factbook : Cook Islands

Organisations and Networks

UN and Multinational

• FAO Country Profiles: Cook Islands
• WHO - Environmental Burden of Disease: Country Profile – Cook Islands
• WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO) in Manila (Philippines)
• WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific: Country Profile: Cook Islands

Government

• Cook Islands Government
  - Ministry of Health

Non-Government

Academic Institutions

National Policy and Related Documents

• Public Health Sewage Code [Te Marae Ora Ministry of Health, 2008]

Reports, Guidelines, and Projects

• Cook Islands: Pacific Regional Environment Programme
  Identifies such issues as water resources, water supply and sanitation in the Cook Islands. [Proceedings of the Pacific Regional Consultation on Water in Small Island Countries – Country Briefing Papers (2003)]
• Country Survey on Health and Climate Change: Cook Islands
  Assesses the current climate change and health vulnerabilities and threats confronting the Cook Islands through a series of 14 questions and answers. [Commonwealth Health Ministers’ Update, 2009]
• Lessons from the Pacific programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis: a case study of 5 countries
  Background: Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) is an important Neglected Tropical Disease, being a major cause of disability worldwide. The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis aims to eliminate LF as a public health problem by the year 2020, primarily through repeated Mass Drug Administration (MDA). The Pacific region programme commenced in 1999. By June 2007, five of the eleven countries classified as endemic had completed five MDA campaigns and post-MDA prevalence surveys to assess their progress. We review available programme data and discuss their implications for other LF elimination programs in developing countries. Methods: Reported MDA coverage and results from initial surveys and post-MDA surveys of LF using the immunochromatographic test (ICT) from these five Pacific Island countries (Tonga, Niue, Vanuatu, Samoa and Cook Islands) were analysed to provide an understanding of their quality and programme progress towards LF elimination. Denominator data reported by each country programme for 2001 was compared to official sources to assess the accuracy of MDA coverage data. Results: Initial survey results from these five countries revealed an ICT prevalence of between 2.7 and 8.6 percent in individuals tested prior to commencement of the programme. Country MDA coverage results varied depending on the source of denominator data. Of the five countries in this case study, three countries (Tonga, Niue and Vanuatu) reached the target prevalence of <1% antigenaemia following five rounds of MDA. However, endpoint data could not be reliably compared to baseline data as survey methodology varied. Conclusion: Accurate and representative baseline and post-campaign prevalence data is crucial for determining program effectiveness and the factors contributing to effectiveness. This is emphasised by the findings of this case study. While three of the five Pacific countries reported achieving the target prevalence of <1% antigenaemia, limitations in the data preclude identification of key determinants of this achievement. [author abstract] [BMC Infectious Diseases 2009, 9: 92]

Educational Resources

• CDC - Travel Information: Australia and the South Pacific
• CIA - World Factbook: Cook Islands
• Cook Islands - this site provides political, economic, social, cultural, and historical information about the Cook Islands