Posts by devx

The diabetes burden in LMICs. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), there were 164,400 adult cases of diabetes in Burkina Faso in 2021.   Nigeria, with a larger overall population, had 3,623,500 adults with diabetes in 2021.   In Kenya, the number stood at 821,500.   In Côte d’Ivoire, it was 231,200.   The…

June 2024 was the warmest June on record. May 2024 was the warmest May on record. The same goes for April, March, February… back to June 2023.   June 2024 was also the 12th consecutive month in which global temperatures reached 1.5°C above the pre-industrial average recorded between 1850 and 1900. Steady, undeniable progress towards…

As a medical oncologist and Executive Director of the Uganda Cancer Institute, Dr Jackson Orem has decades of experience in oncology research. In an article in Nature’s Communications Medicine, he shed light on the complexity and dynamism of cancer care, a practice based deeply on evolving research and advancing technologies.   Drawing from his extensive…

In an article in Communications Medicine, a professor of epidemiology points out that cancer used to be a disease of the affluent, reserved predominantly for people in high-income countries. In the past few decades, however, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have become home to a high burden of cancer-related morbidity and mortality.   In the…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) claims that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the leading public health and development threats in the world. The global health agency estimates that in 2019, 1.27 million deaths were a direct consequence of AMR. In total, AMR contributed to an astounding 4.95 million deaths that year.   With many…

Kala azar, black fever, or visceral leishmaniasis. VL for short.   The most serious of three main forms of leishmaniasis, VL is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that is almost always fatal if left untreated. Like the other kinds of leishmaniasis, it is caused by protozoan parasites, transmitted by the bite of infected female phlebotomine…

In 1970, 15% of the world’s new cancer cases were found in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).   In 2008, 56% of the world’s new cancer cases were found in LMICs.   By 2030, it is estimated that a whopping 70% of new global cancer cases will be found in LMICs.   What about survival…

In the past several decades, the world of healthcare has borne witness to countless innovations in drugs, vaccines, therapeutic modalities, medical technology, and healthcare delivery. From the eradication of smallpox and the novel use of mRNA for vaccine delivery to remote monitoring devices and telemedicine for remote medical consultations, the health sector has come a…

When antibiotics were introduced, they were a game-changer in the treatment of infectious diseases which had previously overwhelmed health systems and claimed innumerable lives.   Today, antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs are still important concerns in the health sector, but not for the right reasons. After years of use, overuse, and misuse of antimicrobial drugs…

The first step in fighting an infection or disease is to label it correctly, i.e., to get an accurate diagnosis. If you live in a high-income country or a fairly well-developed urban area, this doesn’t seem like much of a problem. You visit the nearest lab or call a health professional to your home to…