For the East African Community member states to manage both communicable and non communicable diseases, experts have advised on the adoption of advanced diagnostic tools for early detection and monitoring.
Prof. Wallace Bulimo, the Deputy Director – Data and Statistics at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), said that digital technologies offer innovative solutions to improve healthcare access, especially in remote or under-served areas.
The expert advice was given during the 9th East African Health & Scientific Conference 27th – 29th September at Kigali Convention Centre.
Prof. Bulimo said that the adoption of digital technologies was changing disease patterns with a shift in the disease burden globally.
He proposed that patients with chronic diseases like diabetes should be provided with wearable devices that monitor their vital signs and glucose levels, adding that this would allow data to be transmitted to healthcare providers for remote monitoring.
“Wearable devices empower patients to actively manage their health while providing healthcare providers with real-time data for better decision-making. Smartwatches and fitness trackers monitor heart rate, blood pressure, and activity levels,” he said.
“Over the years, there has been a shift from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as leading causes of death. We have seen the emergence of novel infectious diseases, like COVID-19, highlights the ongoing threat from infectious agents,” said Prof. Bulimo.
“Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) caused 17.9 million deaths in 2019, that is, 32% of all deaths worldwide. CVD mortality has also increased. Ageing populations, sedentary lives, and bad diets have caused this trend. The Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 reports that CVDs cause 19% of global deaths;” said the don.
Prof. Bulimo further said that in 2019, 63 million persons aged 20-79 had diabetes globally, adding that the number would reach 700 million by 2045.
“Global cancer cases are growing, with 19.3 million in 2020. By 2040, 28.4 million new cases are expected. The Global Cancer Observatory (GCO) reported over 10 million cancer deaths in 2020. Rising death rates are caused by population expansion, ageing, and carcinogen exposure,” he said.
On communicable diseases, Prof. Bulimo said that TB remains a global health issue, adding that TB is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide, with 10 million new cases in 2019.
“The spread of infectious pathogens has been facilitated by weak healthcare systems, low vaccination rates, population increase, urbanization, and climate change,” even as he warned that Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) might kill 10 million people and cost $100 trillion by 2050.
“The global impact of AMR includes human health, agriculture, food security, and increases hospital stays, treatment expenditures, and mortality. The WHO reported 770,085,713 cases and 6,956,173 fatalities as of 30 August 2023. Pandemic has stretched healthcare systems, affected economies, fostered global preparedness and response,” he said.
