WeeklySA_AdminINCIDENCE: Prevalence of the condition highest in South Africa, followed by East Africa and then West Africa…
By WSAM Reporter
In six years, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has doubled in a group of middle-aged people in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Burkina Faso.
In the first-ever study of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa, data from 10 702 participants revealed the progression of type 2 diabetes at a much higher rate than initial predictions.
Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes can, over time, increase the risk of heart and kidney disease and lead to eye, vascular and =nerve damage.
In South Africa, diabetes was a leading cause of death, affecting millions, according to Diabetes South Africa. In addition, the non-profit organisation adds that the condition was the leading underlying cause of death among women and second highest underlying cause of mortality for the entire population in the country.
In 2021, the organisation estimated that about 4.6 million South Africans aged 20–79 had diabetes; while in 2019, 52.4% of people with diabetes aged 20–79 were undiagnosed.
Meanwhile, while initial estimations revealed that about six percent of sub-Saharan Africa will have diabetes by 2045 (about 60 million people), researchers now believe this to be a gross underestimation.
The present study shows the prevalence is already 10.9% – about twice that estimate. This is explored further in a study, “Incident type 2 diabetes and its risk factors in men and women aged 40-60 years from four sub-Saharan African countries: results from the AWI-Gen study,” which has been published in the prestigious Lancet Global Health Journal.
The study succinctly identified the risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes, and thus, mitigating such risk factors is imperative.
“While all sites in the region showed a doubling in prevalence of type 2 diabetes during the study period, there are still marked differences between the countries. South Africa had the highest incidence of the disease, followed by East Africa and then West Africa,” said co-author Dr Raylton Chikwati, a post-doctoral fellow affiliated with the Sydney Brenner Institute of Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB) and the Developmental Pathways of Health Research Unit (DPHRU), Wits University.
Chikwati noted that urban communities experienced higher rates of type 2 diabetes and those “at a later stage of epidemiological transition.”
In epidemiological transition, chronic illnesses like heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes replace infectious diseases as leading causes of death. This shift often parallels economic development and rural-to-urban population migration.
More men than women develop type 2 diabetes.
Worldwide, in 2021, about 17.7 million more men than women were living with type 2 diabetes. This disparity was reflected in the sub-Saharan African study, where diabetes rates were higher among men.
“We also found that several other baseline factors, such as body mass index (BMI), waist size, high triglycerides and glucose, lack of exercise, unemployment, hypertension, and a family history of type 2 diabetes significantly increase the risk of developing the disease,” said Chikwati.
“Another interesting observation was that individuals from West Africa developed diabetes at lower BMIs compared to those from East and South Africa – which challenges the universal BMI cut-offs of 25 kg/m² in screening recommendations.”
(BMI, or body mass index, is a calculation that estimates how much body fat a person has based on their height and weight, giving a number that indicates whether they are underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese)
As the prevalence of type 2 diabetes increases, context-specific interventions are needed to address its risk factors. This will include studying the impact of dolutegravir, an antiretroviral drug used in HIV management, which is known to cause weight gain and may influence diabetes risk.
Implementing targeted strategies will not only improve health outcomes but also reduce the burden on poorly resourced regional healthcare systems.
“We need to realise that the problem is urgent and is not in the distant future,” he says.
The study arose out of the Africa-Wits International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and Their Health (INDEPTH) Partnership for Genomic Studies (AWI-Gen). AWI-Gen was designed to study genomic and environmental determinants of cardiometabolic diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. Participants were recruited between 2013 and 2017 and followed up between 2018 and 2022.
Mirror Briefs
THREE NEW MPOX CASES
The Department of Health has issued a call for heightened awareness among the public as three new laboratory-confirmed cases of Mpox have been detected.
According to the department, the first case, identified on 21 February 2025, involved a 30-year-old male residing in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, who recently travelled to Kampala, Uganda.
“The patient was diagnosed with Grade I Mpox virus, which is currently circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda and has been reported in travellers returning to many locations around the globe.”
The other two confirmed cases – a 30-year-old male and a 27-year-old female, both from Ekurhuleni, were identified through thorough contact tracing and monitoring efforts led by outbreak response teams.
“All three cases are now recovering and self-isolating at home,” said the department.
The latest statistics bring the total cumulative number of positive cases from 25 to 28 cases, including three deaths since the outbreak in May last year.
Meanwhile, these are the first positive cases of Mpox recorded in South Africa this year after the last infection was reported in September 2024.
POPE STILL BATTLING.
Pope Francis has had an “isolated breathing crisis” in hospital, the Vatican said, in a setback as the 88-year-old pontiff battles double pneumonia.
The Vatican said on Friday the breathing crisis led to “an episode of vomiting with inhalation and a sudden worsening of the respiratory picture.”
“The Holy Father promptly underwent bronchoaspiration and began non-invasive mechanical ventilation, with a good response on gas exchange. The Holy Father remained alert and oriented at all times,” the Vatican added.
A Vatican official who requested anonymity told the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity that the pope’s breathing issues on Friday did not last long.
The official added that the pope’s doctors are expected to take 24-48 hours to evaluate how the episode will impact the state of his clinical condition. However, his doctors’ prognosis remained guarded.
Francis is spending his 13th night at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he is said to be eating normally and fulfilling some work duties. A Vatican official said he had been inundated with letters and cards wishing him well. – Fullview
FLOOD VICTIMS MOVED
Victims of the recent Durban floods have been moved to temporary emergency accommodation, the Ministry of Human Settlements said .
This as the province of KwaZulu-Natal has been experiencing inclement weather.
A joint operation by the three spheres of government, namely the national and provincial Departments of Human Settlements, and eThekwini Municipality saw 47 households being moved to a temporary emergency accommodation.
In its statement, the department said residents were moved from a mass care centre.
Earlier in the week, Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane deployed a team of officials with a clear mandate for an urgent temporary solution to be sought to assist the affected households.
Meanwhile, the Minister has noted the scale of the disaster and commended NGOs such as the Red Cross for partnering with the government to assist those in need.
In the new week, (04-05 March 2025), Simelane would evaluate the responses and interventions made thus far to alleviate the situation of the victims of the disaster.
She would be joined by KZN MEC for Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma and Mayor of eThekwini Municipality, Cyril Xaba, in visiting the impacted areas. -SAnews
SPAZA SHOPS WARNED
Friday marked the final deadline for spaza shops and other food-handling outlets to register their businesses with local municipalities, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) has confirmed that no extension would be granted.
Spaza shop owners and vendors had until the end of the day to complete their registration, after which unregistered businesses may face penalties. “Following several engagements within the IMC [Inter-Ministerial Committee] and in consultation with the President, a decision has been taken not to extend the deadline of the 28th February 2025, as ample time was given to business owners to comply with the Presidential directive,” NATJOINTS said.
Meanwhile, the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on foodborne illnesses and illicit goods expressed satisfaction with the progress made in implementing government interventions.
On November 15, 2024, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 21-day period for the registration of food handling business. This was extended on 18 December 2024 to 28 February 2025. The intervention followed a serious incident involving foodborne illnesses, which resulted in over 890 cases and nearly 30 deaths since September 2024. In October last year, six primary school children from Naledi, Soweto, died after allegedly eating snacks from a foreign-owned local spaza shop. -SAnews
