Theme 6

• Chronic diseases are rapidly emerging as a common cause of death (especially in the less developed nations)
• Sufferers of chronic diseases are far less likely to have access to appropriate treatment (thereby reducing life expectancy)
• Main types and causes of disease and death

  • Poverty and Malnutrition
  • Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD)
  • Cancer
  • Obesity
  • Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
  • Infant and Maternal Mortality
  • Respiratory Diseases
• Poverty


  The primary cause of low life expectancy
• Poverty


  Causes disease and death by causing chronic malnutrition
• Malnutrition


  Causes disease and death by damaging the body's immune system; leaving individuals more susceptible to all forms of illnesses and contributing to both infant and maternal mortality
• Malnutrition contributes to


  • brain damage (caused by iodine deficiency)
  • blindness (caused by vitamin A deficiency)
  • mental retardation (caused by anaemia)
• Namibia has a high prevalence rate of malnutrition among children under 5 years of age
• Cardiovascular disease (CVD)


  Any disease of the blood vessels and heart
• Most common CVD


  • diseases of the heart muscle
  • stroke (cerebral vascular accident)
  • heart attacks (myocardial infarction)
  • heart failure
  • hypertensive heart disease
• Globally, approximately 19 million deaths are attributed to CVD yearly
• By 2030


  Estimated that heart-related deaths will account for about 23.6 million deaths in low- & middle-class income countries
• Gender


  More men than women suffer from CVD
• CVD Risk Factors


  • age (middle-aged and older population; prenatal heart conditions)
  • genetic/organic
  • lifestyle factors
  • Body mass index (BMI)
  • geographical location (distance in accessing healthcare facilities)
  • unemployment and job insecurity
  • high stress levels and lack of social support and isolation
• Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death after heart disease
• Globally, cancer affects about 9.6 million people
• In Africa, cancer is an emerging public health problem
• Majority of cancers in Africa are diagnosed at an advanced stage
• Reasons for late cancer diagnosis in Africa

  • lack of screening and detection services
  • limited knowledge and awareness on early signs and symptoms
  • stigma associated with the cancer diagnosis
• Namibia has 187,680 Namibians diagnosed with cancer
• Defining criteria for cancer care

  • early detection
  • quality and accessible treatment
  • survivorship care
  • financial resources
  • family/community support
  • Physical and emotional support and care
• Obesity


  Abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health
• Body mass index (BMI) classifies weight in relation to height
• Common health consequences of overweight and obesity

  • cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke)
  • diabetes
  • musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis)
• How can obesity be alleviated?

  • supportive environments in shaping people's health choices
  • providing available, affordable and accessible dietary choices
  • regular physical activities (the easiest choice that is the most accessible, available and affordable)
  • limit fats, sugars and fat content
  • increase consumption of fruits and vegetables
• HIV/AIDS kills more people than any other infectious disease (especially in the less developed nations)
• Heterosexual intercourse remains the major mode of HIV transmission
• Mother-to-child transmission during childbearing has declined significantly due to the provision of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs)
• Life expectancy has slightly increased due to the use of ARVs but remain under 50/60 years
• Sub-Saharan and Eastern African regions are the most impacted by HIV/AIDS
• Significant progress is made in reducing the numbers of new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths
• HIV is spreading rapidly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, primarily fuelled by injectable drugs (i.e., heroin)
• New HIV infections are occurring in the population under 30 years of age (most economically productive and reproductive years)
• Factors contributing to HIV transmission

  • Migration and earning a living draws men and women in conditions where they foster the use of prostitutes to survive even if doing so increase their risk of HIV infections
  • In countries where girls and women have low status, exposure to toxic masculinity (Increase exposure to physical violence if they demand a husband or sexual partner to use a condom)
  • Transactional relationships for material and financial provision or for academic marks or tuition fees
• Tuberculosis (TB) is an old disease that has affected humans for thousands of years
• The cause of TB remained unknown until on 24 March 1882, when Dr Robert Koch announced discovery of the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• According to the WHO, TB infects between 9 to 10 million people each year and (more adults than children, and more men than women)
• Diarrhoeal disease is the second leading cause of death among children under age five (5)
• Causes of diarrhoeal diseases

  • bacteria
  • viruses
  • parasitic organisms
• Diarrhoeal diseases are mostly spread by faeces contaminated water or food not well cooked