Medicine or Food? Tough Choice for Africans with Diabetes

For many years, diabetes was considered a disease of affluence and thought to be rare in sub-Saharan Africa. This is no longer the case. Today 24 million people - one in 22 adults in the region - have diabetes and rates are rapidly increasing, writes Paulina Bleah, Danielle Macdonald, Pilar Camargo-Plazas and Rosemary Wilson for The Conversation Africa.

In Liberia, one of the poorest nations in sub-Saharan Africa, it is reported that an estimated 2.1% of its population of 5.2 million are living with diabetes. More than half of them are undiagnosed, underscoring the grave burden of diabetes in the country.

A new study has found that the two major challenges faced by people with diabetes in Liberia are food insecurity and healthcare neglect. Participants shared stories about worrying about obtaining food, compromising the quality of food they ate, skipping meals and experiencing hunger. They were often forced to choose between food and medication. Participants also reported concerns about the limited food options that healthcare providers recommended for their diet.

According to statistics from Our World In Data, Mauritius and Egypt have the highest diabetes prevalence in Africa at 22.60 percent and 20.90 percent respectively. Nigeria has 3.60 percent diabetes prevalence, making it the 37th highest in Africa. Other African countries with high diabetes prevalence include Sudan (18.90 percent), Tanzania (12.30 percent), Zambia (11.90 percent) and Morocco (9.10 percent). In South Africa, diabetes has reached a crisis point, with the disease being the country's leading underlying cause of death in women and second in the general population.