Tackling Noncommunicable Diseases in Africa: Caveat Lector

Noncommunicable disease (NCD), principally cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic lung disease, and diabetes, constitutes the major cause of death worldwide. Evidence of a continuing increase in the global burden of these diseases has generated recent urgent calls for global action to tackle and reduce related death and disability. Because the majority of NCD deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, increased attention has been focused on this group of countries. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, where all countries are members of the low- and middle-income grouping, NCDs are not the leading causes of death or potential life years lost. Thus, strategies to tackle NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa are best conceived and executed in alignment with existing strategies for the prevention, treatment, and control of the actual leading causes of death in this region. This commentary addresses caveats to be considered as strategies are developed to tackle NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa as part of the global effort to prevent, treat, and control NCDs.