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Daily Monitor Device measuring blood glucose levels. SciDev.Net By Royal Uche Lagos - The number of Africans with diabetes could more than double in the next 25 years, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) warns, while COVID-19 patients face greater risks, according to a separate report. Diabetes cases in the region could increase by 134 percent, from 24 million in 2021 to 55 million by 2045, according to IDF's latest Diabetes Atlas, which indicates that 537 million adults are now living with the disease worldwide. Poor access to COVID-19 vaccines is increasing mortality rates from COVID-19 infections among diabetic patients in Africa, adds a preliminary WHO analysis. WHO assessed data from 13 countries on the continent(Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo,Eswatini, Guinea,Namibia, Niger, Rwanda,Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal,Seychelles and Uganda) on people with diabetes who have also tested positive for COVID-19. The results that were released at a WHO virtual press conference on 11 November ahead of World Diabetes Day on 14 November show that the mortality rate from COVID-19 in Africa is 10.2% among diabetics compared to only 2.5% for all patients. "Of all indications, COVID-19 is giving a clear message. The fight against the diabetes epidemic in Africa is in many ways as crucial as the fight against the current pandemic," says Benido Impouma, Director of Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases at the WHO Regional Office for Africa. He adds that people with diabetes around the world have been prioritized for care during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Africa has struggled to implement this strategy. Benido Impouma says access to diabetes care has been severely disrupted in the WHO African Region, adding that restrictions implemented to limit the spread of COVID-19 have hampered access to health care and basic management of the disease, including routine blood sugar control and healthy eating. Although the COVID-19 vaccine is a lifeline for people with other diseases such as diabetes, access to vaccines remains poor in Africa. Vaccination Nine months into COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in Africa, only 6.6% of Africa's population is fully vaccinated, compared to about 40% globally. "We are still far from where we need to be to protect the most vulnerable among us," he explains. "There is an urgent need to scale up vaccination and other key services for people at high risk, including those with diabetes. We can also prevent diabetes from claiming more lives by promoting a healthy and affordable diet and regular physical activity." Greg Tracz, Managing Director of Diabetes Africa, told SciDev.Net: "We can reduce the impact of COVID-19 in Africa if we start by preventing and treating diabetes. Innovations exist, [and] champions exist across the continent. We need to share information and communicate better." Eva Njenga, President of the Kenya Diabetes Management and Information Centre, said more than 40% of those who have died from COVID-19 suffer from other diseases, including diabetes in Kenya; which has led the government to prioritize COVID-19 vaccination to these people. Maïmouna Ndour Mbaye, director of the Marc Sankalé National Center for diabetes in Senegal, points out that a significant number of Africans with diabetes can no longer control their condition due to the high cost of drugs and monitoring devices. She urges African leaders to subsidize medicines to control diabetes; adding that the government of Senegal has subsidized insulin to allow more people to access life-saving medicines.

By Edith Mutethya in Nairobi, Kenya | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2021-12-01 20:47 The Nigeria Center for Disease Control on Wednesday confirmed the first cases of the Omicron variant from three travelers who arrived in the country from South Africa last week. In a statement on Wednesday, the Nigeria CDC said more cases are likely to be detected, noting Omicron is already widespread globally judging from the increasing number of countries that are reporting the variant. "Our focus is to complete sequencing of recently accrued samples of COVID-19 positive travelers from all countries, especially those from countries that have already reported the Omicron variant," said Ifedayo Adetifa, the Nigeria CDC director-general. Adetifa said the Federal Ministry of Health intensified public health response measures to COVID-19 in the country immediately after the emergence of the Omicron variant was reported. He appealed to Nigerians to adhere strictly to travel protocols and other public safety measures to protect themselves, families, friends and the community at large, as well as to prevent a fourth wave of COVID-19 in the country. "Given the risk of increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant, it is essential to curb community transmission," Adetifa said. "The Nigeria CDC recommends states ensure sample collection and testing remain widely accessible, so people who have symptoms or have been exposed to a positive case get tested quickly in healthcare and other settings." He called on states across the country to effectively implement ongoing mass vaccination campaigns and encouraged citizens to get vaccinated.