Chronic Disease Brief For Africa (June 2016) By Dara Oloyede

June 2016

• East Africa: Tanzania Achieves First Heart Bypass        

• Rwanda to Host Conference on Non-Communicable Diseases

• Sudan Urges Tobacco Companies to Place Warnings on Tobacco Packages

• Cameroon Cancer Patients Seek Treatment Late, Or Not at All

• Future Implications of Rising Life Expectancy In Africa     

East Africa: Dar Pulls Off First Heart Bypass

Tanzania is the first country in the East African region to conduct a heart bypass surgery (allafrica.com). A team of doctors from the BLK Super Specialty Hospital and from the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI), the country’s cardiac center in Dar es Salaam, are offering by-pass surgeries. Heart by-pass surgeries help doctors to operate on a patient's heart while it beats. Previously doctors in the country "used to conduct surgery by using a heart lung machine that forced cardiologists to stop patients from breathing until the [surgery] was completed" (allafrica.com). Dr. Kisenge, who is the head of Cardiology at the JKCI said that they will now be able to help patients save money and time of recovery on surgeries (allafrica.com). 

For more information check out this article at allafrica.com: East Africa: Dar Pulls Off First Heart Bypass

Rwanda to Host Conference on Non-Communicable Diseases

From June 28^th to the 30^th an international conference on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) will be hosted in Kigali, Rwanda. The theme of the conference is “The role of multi-disciplinary approach in the management of NCDs in Africa.” (allafrica.com). Experts will be presenting their research on NCDs and share ideas and recommendations about how to address them. This conference was organized to address the fact that NCDs pose a global health threat however they are preventable. 

For more information check out this article at allafrica.com: Africa: Rwanda to Host Major Health Meet Next Month

Sudan Urges Tobacco Companies to Place Warnings on Tobacco Packages

The minister of Health, Dr. Mamoon Humaida, is making the campaign against smoking cigarettes the priority of the health ministry. One of the moves made by the ministry already is the instruction for companies to put warning labels on cigarette packages and advertisements. The Minster stated that “combating tobacco is not of concern to the state alone, but to the whole community, citizen and the country’s economy” (allafrica.com). In addition to the instruction for warning labels, the ministry is also promoting a campaign for women’s health to spread awareness against “smoking, snuffing, and other harmful practices” (allafrica.com).

For more information check out this article at allafrica.com: Sudan: Humaida - Sudan Is One of the Latest Countries to Stick Warning in Tobacco Packages

Cameroon Cancer Patients Seek Treatment Late, Or Not at All

“The number of cancer cases is expected to double in sub-Saharan Africa in the next fifteen years, as the population grows and people live longer” (voanews.com). The fatality rate for many types of cancers on the continent is high because people often seek treatment late or not at all. The Cameroon Health Minister, Andre Mama Fouda, said “one in five Cameroonians visit hospitals when they have health problems” (voanews.com). In addition, he said that about 14,000 cases of cancer are documented each year, however many remain undiagnosed and suffer silently (voanews.com). 70 percent of patients come to the hospital when their cancer has already progressed to an advanced stage (voanews.com). In Cameroon cancer treatment is offered only in specialized hospitals in the 2 largest cities, and it is expensive (voanews.com). The most common cancers are cervical cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer (voanews.com).

For more information check out this article at voanews.com: Cameroon Cancer Patients Seek Treatment Late, Or Not at All

Future Implications of Rising Life Expectancy In Africa     

A study done by the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that life expectancy is rising on the continent. According to research done by the Financial Times of the UK this is due to access to  anti-retro viral drugs, advancements in technology which have helped reduce mother to child HIV transmission, and the availability of cost effective drugs that cure diseases such as malaria  (face2facearica.com). With life expectancy rising in Africa, governments face other challenges helping an aging population with chronic illnesses as well as infectious diseases (face2faceafrica.com). Health care costs will rise for an aging population that needs more specialized medical attention that requires more specialized medical resources and health professionals to meet this need (face2faceafrica.com).

For more information check out this article at face2faceafrica.com: Rising Life Expectancy In Africa: What Does It Mean? 

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Dara Oloyede is the African News Correspondent for Engage Africa Foundation. She is pursuing her MPH in Public Health with a focus in Maternal and Child Health and Health Policy. During her free time she likes to read books, hang out with friends, go to the movies, concerts, as well as events that celebrate different cultures.