There are no serious tropical diseases on the islands except for a dwindling number of leprosy and dysentery cases. In 1990, there were 1.8 hospital beds per 1,000 people. In 1999 there were 0.3 physicians, 3 nurses, 0.9 midwives, and 0.1 dentist per 1,000 people. A large portion of Tuvalu's population had access to safe water (100%) and sanitation (85%) in 1993.
The infant mortality rate was estimated at 22 per 1,000 live births in 2002. In the same year, the fertility rate was an estimated 3.1 per 1,000 people. As of 2002, the crude birth rate and overall mortality rate were estimated at, respectively, 21.4 and 7.5 per 1,000 people. In 1995, the immunization rates for a child under one were as follows: diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus, 82%; polio, 92%; measles, 94%; and tuberculosis, 88%. About 49% of children under one had been immunized for hepatitis B in 1995. The average life expectancy was estimated at 67 years.
Malaria was one of the most reported diseases in 1993, with 10,377 cases that year.
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