In General
Roughly 50% of deaths from all types of communicable, or infectious, diseases worldwide, occur in Africa. In 2015, a person living in Africa was more than three times as likely to die from HIV/AIDS than a person living in any other developing region in the world. That same person in Africa was more than 10 times more likely to die from malaria. Africa also experiences a high number of premature deaths from non-communicable diseases, like diabetes and heart disease. More than half of non-communicable diseases deaths in Africa occurred in people under the age of 70 and people in Africa are more likely to die from a non-communicable disease, across all age groups, than people living in the rest of the world. By 2030, non-communicable diseases are projected to be the leading cause of death in Africa. Taken together, these facts underscore the magnitude of the double burden of disease in Africa.
This blog is to inform the public regarding the double burden (or triple burden) of disease in Eastern Africa. Most people of the western world are entitled to their own views and stereotypes which has been easily influenced by media and movies. Climatic shocks, conflict, economic instability and food insecurity are the topics that are directly related to East Africa. The prevalence of non-communicable diseases in East Africa is rising rapidly. Although the epidemiologic, demographic, and nutritional transitions are well under way in low-income countries, investment and attention in these countries remain focused largely on communicable diseases. We think that the biggest types of diseases in East Africa are malnutrition and infectious diseases, while lifestyle diseases like obesity and cancer are getting bigger. Each East African country faces challenges within their health system that hinder the capacity of the government to meet the needs of the population. African leaders and health experts recognize the necessity of regional approaches in controlling communicable diseases, harmonizing policies and standards, and sharing best practices that are proven to address common health risks that transcend borders.
Eastern Africa is currently facing a “double burden of disease”. This term was defined by the WHO as “first, the emerging epidemics of non-communicable diseases and injuries, which are becoming more prevalent in industrialized and developing countries alike, and second, some major infectious diseases which survived the 20th century – part of the unfinished health agenda”. This is characterized by the increasing prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases and the battle to deal with infectious diseases. In essence, the health shift from communicable diseases such as hepatitis A, polio, measles, tetanus to non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers and diabetes. People in Eastern Africa now face them double burden of high rates of both NCDS and CDs. In addition, recent conversations within the health and scientific field have highlighted the “triple burden” of communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases and additional factors such as mental health, injuries, socio-behavioral conditions and social-economic factors. This introduces additional complexity to the existing problems of the double burden of disease.
Who are we?
Behind this blog, there is a group of students, all with an interest in Global Health. Of course, the double burden of disease is an important topic within the field of Global Health, which deserves to be addressed. Even though there are some differences in our backgrounds, most of us are enrolled in health related bachelor programmes at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and are currently enrolled in the Global Health minor. One of the reasons for our interest in this topic is the variety of health issues it includes, such as communicable and non-communicable diseases, as well as accidents, injuries and stigma. Another reason is the worldwide view of the topic, which is important because almost all diseases are not contained within one country. It is thus important to analyze multiple countries at once, in order to gather information on the scope of a problem, how to address it and how to make countries cooperate.
We hope you find this blog educational as well as enjoyable!
Imke, Jinke, Joanne, Marieke and Thom
If you wish to contact us, please send and e-mail to doubleburdenofdisease@gmail.com or leave a comment on one of our blogs!
Sources used:
– https://issafrica.org/iss-today/stark-choices-africas-double-burden-of-disease
– https://centers.fuqua.duke.edu/case/knowledge_items/healthcare-innovation-east-africa-navigating-ecosystem/
– http://www.fao.org/3/CA2710EN/ca2710en.pdf
– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4568565/
– http://www.usaid.gov/east-africa-regional
– http://www.bicycleportraits.co.za/
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East Africa 