Diabetes on the rise in West Africa
Health officials have warned that the number of
people seeking medical assistance for diabetes in West Africa has shot up in
recent years but that programmes for treatment have not expanded accordingly.
An estimated seven million Africans currently have the disease, including 3.3
million West Africans, according to the United Nations World Health Organisation
(WHO). The International Federation of Diabetics (FID) said the current
prevalence of rate of 0.5 to 3 percent across Africa could increase by 95
percent by 2010.
Previously thought to have largely been a disease in developed countries, WHO
said that 75 percent of the world's diabetics will live in developing countries
by 2025.
Currently about eight percent of Europeans and North Americans have the
disease.
"The problem of over eating [in Africa] is progressing at
exponentially," said Stephane Besancon, director of programs at the French
NGO Mali Diabetic Health.
In Senegal, the National Center Against Diabetes said an average of 200 new
cases were reported each year in the country in the 1980s. That number has
increased more than ten-fold with 2,411 new cases reported last year, according
to Dr. Marie Ka Cisse.
Changing demographics
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce
enough insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Diabetes can also be
characterised by the body's inability to effectively use the insulin it
produces. Hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common symptom which over
time causes serious damage to the nerves and blood vessels as well as other body
systems, according to WHO.
People who are overweight have a higher risk of contracting diabetes. In many
African cultures, obesity is a sign of beauty and good health, especially among
women.
The disease is generally more prevalent in urban areas. Traditional meals in
Africa are being replaced in urban areas by Western food high in fat and sugar,
Besancon said.
"There is more eating out, rising consumption of fried foods, brochettes
and fritters, which are now consumed more often than proper grain-based
meals," he said.
Cost prohibitive
The Diabetics Federation has called for a new campaign to make Africans more
aware of the risk of diabetes and to make medication readily available. The high
cost of medicines means that the people with the disease often go untreated.
In Mali, insulin can cost as much as 20 percent of monthly household income,
Besancon said. In Burkina Faso, a monthly minimum treatment for diabetics costs
8,000-12,000 CFA (US $16-$24) not including examinations and follow-up health
care.
"Countries in the region have limited resources due to a mounting of
funds that need to be pumped into fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis,"
said Kaushik Ramayia, FID's regional president for Africa.
Almost 80 percent of diabetes deaths occur in low- or middle-income
countries, according to WHO.
Poor infrastructure
The cost of treatment is higher than necessary in Africa because most
patients don't get screened for diabetes at an early stage. In Burkina Faso only
four medical officers are trained in detecting diabetes and facilities to screen
and treat diabetics only exist in Ouagadougou and Bobodioulasso.
In Mali there is only one diabetes specialist and one endocrine-diabetes
specialist. In the rest of the country, patients are looked after by
generalists.
Ghana has trained national, local and regional doctors to better address
diabetes, according to FID. Both Senegal and Ghana have tried to decentralise
screening and treatment for diabetes.
Experts also call on the international community to develop clearer
strategies to combat diabetes in the way that efforts have been made to combat
the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria or tuberculosis.
"African health systems are oriented to infectious diseases but not for
chronic illnesses," Besancon said. "So the growth of diabetes
destabilises [health] structures." - IRIN
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© IRIN. [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
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