The need for an integrated approach for chronic disease research and care in Africa

A L Barr; E H Young; L Smeeth; R Newton; J Seeley; K Ripullone; T R Hird; J R M Thornton; M J Nyirenda; S Kapiga; C A Adebamowo; A G Amoah; N Wareham; C N Rotimi; N S Levitt; K Ramaiya; B J Hennig; J C Mbanya; S Tollman; A A Motala; P Kaleebu; M S Sandhu

doi:10.1017/gheg.2016.16

The need for an integrated approach for chronic disease research and care in Africa

Glob Health Epidemiol Genom. 2016 Nov 29:1:e19. doi: 10.1017/gheg.2016.16. eCollection 2016.

Authors

A L Barr^{1

2}, E H Young^{1

2}, L Smeeth³, R Newton⁴, J Seeley^{4

5}, K Ripullone^{1

2}, T R Hird^{1

2}, J R M Thornton^{1

2}, M J Nyirenda^{3

6}, S Kapiga^{3

7}, C A Adebamowo^{8

9}, A G Amoah¹⁰, N Wareham¹¹, C N Rotimi¹², N S Levitt¹³, K Ramaiya¹⁴, B J Hennig^{15

16}, J C Mbanya¹⁷, S Tollman^{18

19}, A A Motala²⁰, P Kaleebu⁴, M S Sandhu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
² Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK.
³ Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
⁴ Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute (MRC/UVRI), Uganda Research Unit on AIDS, Entebbe, Uganda.
⁵ Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
⁶ Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit, Lilongwe, Malawi.
⁷ Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania.
⁸ Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center and Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore MD 21201 USA.
⁹ Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria.
¹⁰ Department of Medicine, University of Ghana Medical School, Korlebu, Ghana.
¹¹ MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
¹² Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA.
¹³ Division of Diabetic Medicine and Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
¹⁴ Shree Hindu Mandal Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
¹⁵ MRC Unit, The Gambia, Fajara, The Gambia.
¹⁶ MRC International Nutrition Group, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
¹⁷ Department of Internal Medicine and Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
¹⁸ MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
¹⁹ INDEPTH Network, Accra, Ghana.
²⁰ Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Abstract

With the changing distribution of infectious diseases, and an increase in the burden of non-communicable diseases, low- and middle-income countries, including those in Africa, will need to expand their health care capacities to effectively respond to these epidemiological transitions. The interrelated risk factors for chronic infectious and non-communicable diseases and the need for long-term disease management, argue for combined strategies to understand their underlying causes and to design strategies for effective prevention and long-term care. Through multidisciplinary research and implementation partnerships, we advocate an integrated approach for research and healthcare for chronic diseases in Africa.

Keywords: Africa; chronic disease; health systems; implementation; infectious disease; integration; intervention; low and middle income countries; non-communicable disease; partnerships; research; surveillance; technology.

Abstract

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