Major NCDs in Nigeria include cardiovascular diseases (such as hypertension, coronary heart diseases and stroke), cancer, diabetes mellitus, sickle cell disease, chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), mental, neurological and substance use disorders (MNSDs) and road traffic injuries, and oral health disorders (OHDs).
In 2019, the Nigerian government published the National Multi-Sectoral Action Plan (NMSAP) for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria (2019-2025) as a strategic guide for the national response to NCDs for the next seven years in Nigeria. The document aligns with the National Health Strategic Development Plan II (NHSDP II), the Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030 and the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).
The development of this document was led and coordinated by the NCD Division of the Federal Ministry of Health.
“Cognisant that the determinants for NCD interventions lie outside the health ministry, a wide
range of relevant stakeholders from non-health ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs
and non-governmental organisations/civil society organisations participated in the development of this document,” noted the document.
The rapid rise in NCDs represents one of the major health challenges to global development, consequently threatening economic and social development, including the lives and health of millions of people. The rapid increase in these diseases occurs disproportionately in poor and disadvantaged populations and is contributing to widening health inequalities between and within countries.
Non-communicable diseases are chronic diseases that are not passed from person to person. They have varying progression rates depending on when interventions to slow their progression were started and sustained. The four main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructed pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.
These major NCDs share four major behavioural risk factors, namely, tobacco use and exposure, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol. Other NCDs of public health importance in Africa include but are not limited to haemoglobinopathies, mental neurological and substance abuse disorders, injuries from road traffic crashes, and oral and eye diseases.
The burden of NCDs is rapidly increasing globally. NCDs currently account for over 70 per cent of all global deaths. In low- and middle-income countries, an estimated 48 per cent of NCD-related deaths occur among people less than 70 years old. In Nigeria, there is very limited evidence on the burden of NCDs and its trends; however, a recent systematic review of NCDs-related studies conducted across the country on seven NCD diseases (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, chronic respiratory diseases, cancers, sickle cell disease, mental neurological and substance use disorders and road traffic injuries) indicate a rising trend in prevalence and incidence.
According to the WHO NCDs Global Report 2014, NCDs accounted for 38 million (68%) of the world’s 56 million deaths in 2012. More than 40% of them (16 million) were premature deaths under the age of 70 years. Almost three-quarters of all NCD deaths (28 million) and most premature deaths (82%) occur in low- and middle-income countries.
The 2011–2025 cumulative economic losses due to NCDs under “business as usual” scenarios with no intervention in low- and middle-income countries have been estimated at $7 Trillion. This sum far outweighs the annual $11.2 Billion cost of implementing high-impact interventions to reduce the NCD burden (From Burden to ‘Best Buys’: Reducing the economic impact of Non-Communicable Diseases
in LMICs). There is a direct link between NCDs and poverty, as the presence of NCD risk factors and diseases further deepens poverty.
NCDs and their risk factors also increase both individual and household expenditures. NCDs disproportionately affect the poor in low-and middle-income countries, thereby widening the inequality gap. Lifestyles and behaviours are responsible for the modifiable risk factors that give rise to the major NCDs. These modifiable risk factors include tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity and unhealthy diets such as excessive consumption of red meat, salt, saturated fat, refined sugars in foods and drinks, and sub-optimal consumption of fibre and micronutrients.
Other risk factors include hereditary conditions such as sickle cell carrier status, albinism, usage of illicit drugs, unsafe sex practices, unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene, outdoor and indoor smoke from solid fuels, exposure to harmful radiation.
