Did you know?

There are nearly half a million adults living with some form of diabetes in Cameroon; there are no national figures available for children with type 1 diabetes. Increased rates of obesity, particularly in the urban centres, and an aging population are among factors contributing to the rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases, including heart disease and some cancers. In the 10-year period from the mid-1990s on, diabetes increased 10-fold.¹ Projections for coming decades estimate warn of increases throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Diabetes competes with infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, for the allocation of scarce public-health resources. However, with a nationwide diabetes prevention plan in place, chronic diseases are receiving closer attention from government.

1. Mbanya JC, Kengne AP, Assah F: Diabetes care in Africa. Lancet 2006, 368: 1628-9.
2. de-Graft Aikins A, Boynton P, Atanga LL: Developing effective chronic disease interventions in Africa: insights from Ghana and Cameroon. Global Health 2010, 6: 6.