Counting Oceanians of Non-European, Non-Asian Descent (ONENA) in the South Pacific to Make Them Count in Global Health

Arnaud Tarantola; Paul F Horwood; Cyrille Goarant; Solène Bertrand; Onofre Edwin A Merilles; Thierry Pedron; Elise Klement-Frutos; Philippe Sansonetti; Lluis Quintana-Murci; Vincent Richard

doi:10.3390/tropicalmed4030114

Counting Oceanians of Non-European, Non-Asian Descent (ONENA) in the South Pacific to Make Them Count in Global Health

Trop Med Infect Dis. 2019 Aug 9;4(3):114. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed4030114.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Epidemiology unit, Institut Pasteur de Nouvelle-Calédonie, BP 61-98845 Nouméa cedex, New Caledonia. atarantola@pasteur.nc.
² Virology and Viral Diseases, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, Division of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, Australia.
³ Leptospirosis research and expertise unit, Institut Pasteur de Nouvelle-Calédonie, BP 61 - 98845 Nouméa cedex, New Caledonia.
⁴ Communauté du Pacifique/Pacific Community, 95 Promenade Roger Laroque, BP D5, Nouméa 98848, New Caledonia.
⁵ Unité de Pathogénie Microbienne Moléculaire, INSERM U1202, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris cedex 15, France.
⁶ Epidemiology unit, Institut Pasteur de Nouvelle-Calédonie, BP 61-98845 Nouméa cedex, New Caledonia.
⁷ Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases Department, Centre Hospitalier Territorial, 110 Boulevard Joseph Wamytan, Dumbéa Sur Mer 98835, New Caledonia.
⁸ Unité de Pathogénie Microbienne Moléculaire, INSERM U1202, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris cedex 15 ; Chaire de Microbiologie et Maladies Infectieuses, Collège de France, 11 squareMarcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France.
⁹ Human Evolutionary Genetics Unit, Institut Pasteur, 25-28 Rue du Docteur Roux, 75015 Paris, France.
¹⁰ Institut Pasteur de Nouvelle-Calédonie, BP 61-98845 Nouméa cedex, New Caledonia.

Abstract

Several diseases and vulnerabilities associated with genetic or microbial factors are more frequent among populations of Oceanian, Non-European, Non-Asian descent (ONENA). ONENA are specific and have long been isolated geographically. To our knowledge, there are no published official, quantitative, aggregated data on the populations impacted by these excess vulnerabilities in Oceania. We searched official census reports for updated estimates of the total population for each of the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (including Australia) and the US State of Hawaii, privileging local official statistical or censual sources. We multiplied the most recent total population estimate by the cumulative percentage of the ONENA population as determined in official reports. Including Australia and the US State of Hawaii, Oceania counts 27 countries and territories, populated in 2016 by approximately 41 M inhabitants (17 M not counting Australia) among which approximately 12.5 M (11.6 M not counting Australia) consider themselves of entire or partial ONENA ancestry. Specific genetic and microbiome traits of ONENA may be unique and need further investigation to adjust risk estimates, risk prevention, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, to the benefit of populations in the Pacific and beyond.

Keywords: diabetes mellitus; epidemiology; ethnic groups; global health; indigenous health; infectious diseases; medical genetics; non-communicable diseases; nutritional and metabolic diseases; pacific islands; type 2.