“We even appeal to parents throughout Malawi that for instance if they are diabetic and bread winners for the family but can’t take necessary measures to control their condition this could negatively affect our development including education as children,” said Ngwira adding that only healthy parents can have the capacity to be productive to meet the everyday needs of their children.

Juliet spoke at a gathering which was organized by Journalists Association Against AIDS (Journaids) in Malawi with its partners with funding from the Denmark based World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) to raise awareness of the impact of NCDs including diabetes which are now becoming common in Malawi, posing a big threat to human lives yet are in most cases given little or no attention.

“On Diabetes alone Malawi is having a prevalence rate of 5.6 percent. This is very serious and can no longer be ignored. This means that productivity is even being slowed,” said Journaids Executive Director Christopher Bauti.

NCDs are fatal indeed but can be managed if patients suffering from them discover their condition earlier and seek advice and treatment from a doctor and receive full support from friends and relatives in the community.

Take for instance, a case of Jimmy, an Accountant working for an Insurance firm in Lilongwe.

About 24 months ago he lost weight and used to feel dizzy often. He also used to frequently urinate and experience an excessive thirst, felt very tired, his vision was blurred and sometimes sweated profusely especially during the night.

“After losing weight I rushed to the conclusion that I was HIV positive before even going for the test to know if I had the virus. It had to take my wife Shirah to persuade me to go to a clinic in town,” he said.

The Accountant disclosed that at the clinic he underwent for several tests including HIV, Tuberculosis (TB), Malaria, High Blood Pressure, and Asthma.

“It was discovered that I had none of these. I was also requested to submit my blood sample for a Diabetic test and the diagnosis revealed that I was suffering from Diabetes,” said Jimmy a father of three adding that after the test he accepted his fate, was counselled and since then is on diabetic treatment.

“Since then I do take some drugs on a daily basis to control my blood sugar levels,” he said.

Diabetes Association of Malawi (DAM) Treasurer for the Central Region of Malawi Charles Saidi himself diabetic discloses that most people suffer from NCDs such as Diabetes because of indulging in unsafe dietary habits.

“Most of the NCDs we are suffering from such as Diabetes are as a result of not selecting what we eat. Diabetes is a condition whereby the body is unable to produce insulin to turn glucose into energy for the body,” said Saidi adding that as a result there are high glucose concentration in the blood stream.

“Due to high glucose concentration in the blood, the blood becomes thicker and if measures are not taken this leads to a lot of problems in the functions of the human body including damage to nerves and internal organs,” he said.

Saidi however, disclosed that there is hope for those suffering from Diabetes as they can get artificial insulin from hospital, adopt some dietary measures, do exercises to control glucose levels in the body.

But the DAM Treasurer was quick to appeal to government to make sure that diabetic drugs including insulin are available in Malawi’s hospitals.

“For example, lives of our members have often been in danger because when they have gone to Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe they have been told that there are no any diabetic drugs,” he said adding that there is no cure for Diabetes hence one has to take these drugs for relief for the rest of life.

“We are also appealing to those on treatment never to stop their medication believing that because they were prayed for by men of God then they are cured of their condition. Diabetes has no cure but can be controlled,” said Saidi.

Representing Malawi Government Deputy Director of Clinical Services in the Ministry of Health Titha Dzowela admitted that since NCDs such as Diabetes are diseases that cannot be passed from one person to another they have indeed often been given less attention as compared to communicable diseases in Malawi hence there was even little data on such diseases.

“It’s high time as a country we start doing something and more on NCDs if we are to develop as a country,” he said adding that the ignored diseases are affecting younger generations below 70 years also Malawi’s productive workforce in development.

Dzowela disclosed that some causes of NCDs in Malawi include fatty diets, excessive alcohol and tobacco consumption and lack of exercises.

On her part, Malawi Health Equity Network (MEHN) National Coordinator Martha Kwataine said if the battle against NCDs is to won in the country there is a need to intensively sensitize communities countrywide on the diseases.

“Since we are just beginning to appreciate the negative impacts of NCDs in Malawi our advocacy should include issues to do with nutrition and healthy habits,” said Kwataine.

She further explained that for instance Malawians need to be told that, obesity necessitates one’s vulnerability to NCDs such as HBP and Diabetes.

“It’s high time we have to be responsible for our own health and not entrust it in the hands of government,” charged Kwataine.

She further expounded that there is a need to sensitize every citizen in Malawi that NCDs are not diseases for the rich as can affect anyone due to some risky dietary habits practices.

The Assistant Director-General for NCDs and Mental Health at WHO Ala Alwan said although presently, NCDs are given less attention as compared to Communicable Diseases (DCs), NCDs mainly such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes represent leading threat to human health and development on the planet.

“These four diseases are the world’s biggest killers, causing an estimated 35 million deaths each year – 60 percent of all deaths globally - with 80 percent in low- and middle-income countries,” said Alwan however, adding that despite being fatal these diseases are preventable.

“Up to 80 percent of heart disease, stroke and type-two diabetes and over a third of cancers could be prevented by eliminating shared risk factors mainly tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol,” he said.

According to data collected in Malawi by a team of researchers Kelias Msyamboza (World Health Organization(WHO)-Malawi Office], Bagrey Ngwira and Cameron Bowie from College of Medicine/University of Malawi, Titha Dzowela, Chimwemwe Mvula and Damson Kathyola from Ministry of Health, and Anthony Harries from International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD), Paris France and Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom NCDs are becoming significant causes of morbidity and mortality, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries including Malawi, although local, high-quality data to inform evidence-based policies are lacking.

To determine the magnitude of NCDs and their risk factors in Malawi, using the WHO STEP wise approach to chronic disease risk factor surveillance, a population-based, nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted between July and September 2009 on participants aged between 25 to 64 years.

The researchers disclose that socio-demographic and behaviour risk factors were also collected including physical anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were documented, blood cholesterol and fasting blood glucose also measured.

“A total of 5,206 adults (67 percent females) were surveyed. Tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking and raised blood pressure (BP) were more frequent in males than females, 25 percent versus 3 percent, 30 percent versus 4 percent and 37 percent versus 29 percent,” they say.

The team further says it was revealed that overweight, physical inactivity and raised cholesterol were common in females than males in Malawi, 28 percent versus 16 percent, 13 percent versus 6 percent and 11 percent versus 6 percent respectively.

The group also discovered that tobacco smoking was more common in rural than urban areas 11 percent versus 7 percent, while overweight and physical inactivity more common in urban than rural areas 39 percent versus 22 percent and 24 percent versus 9 percent.

While overall (both sexes) prevalence of tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, overweight and physical inactivity was 14 percent, 17 percent, 22 percent, 10 percent and prevalence of raised BP, fasting blood sugar and cholesterol was 33 percent, 6 percent and 9 percent respectively.

“These data could be useful in the formulation and advocacy of NCD policy and action plan in Malawi,” the researchers say.

Appreciating that the journalists have a great role to play in putting vital messages across in society and in an effort to help Malawians to be aware of NCDs and take their roles in the fight against the forgotten but fatal diseases, Journaids engaged a Lilongwe health expert Lazarus Juziwelo to drill journalists with skills on how to report about the diseases.

“Since many Malawians are not aware of NCDs there is a need to involve the media to put messages on these diseases across. The media has power to influence. If we involve the media on NCDs masses will for instance, understand these diseases better and play their roles and even take part in the fight against these diseases hence lives that would have been unnecessarily lost could be saved,” said Juziwelo.