tackling africas chronic disease burden from the local to the global解决非洲的慢性疾病负担从地方到全球.pdf

de-Graft Aikins et al. Globalization and Health 2010, 6:5 /content/6/1/5 C O M M E N T A R Y Open Access Commentary Tackling Africas chronic disease burden: from the local to the global 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ama de-Graft Aikins* , Nigel Unwin , Charles Agyemang , Pascale Allotey , Catherine Campbell and Daniel Arhinful Abstract Africa faces a double burden of infectious and chronic diseases. While infectious diseases still account for at least 69% of deaths on the continent, age specific mortality rates from chronic diseases as a whole are actually higher in sub Saharan Africa than in virtually all other regions of the world, in both men and women. Over the next ten years the continent is projected to experience the largest increase in death rates from cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease and diabetes. African health systems are weak and national investments in healthcare training and service delivery continue to prioritise infectious and parasitic diseases. There is a strong consensus that Africa faces significant challenges in chronic disease research, practice and policy. This editorial reviews eight or iginal papers submitted to a Globalization and Health special issue themed: Africas chronic disease burden: local and global perspectives. The papers offer new empirical evidence and comprehensive reviews on diabetes in Tanzania, sickle cell disease in Nigeria, chronic mental illness in rural Ghana, HIV/AIDS care-giving among children in Kenya and chronic disease interventions in Ghana and Cameroon. Regional and international reviews are offered on cardiovascular risk in Africa, comorbidity between infectious and chronic diseases and cardiovascular disease, diabetes