Durban - A silent disease, hypertension affects an estimated 80% of South Africans over the age of 50.
And while this disease can be avoided through healthy lifestyle choice, it is not a case of choice – especially if you are living well below the breadline.
That was from UCT Associate Professor in Public Health Medicine Tolu Oni on the sidelines of the session of Combating Diseases of Poverty at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday afternoon.
"While TB is a major disease and malaria also a big one across Africa, increasingly so are diabetes and hypertension. Because hypertension is a silent disease, it is often only found at a late stage and while there are lifestyle choices such as reduced physical activity, intake of too much salt or genetic factors, sometimes it's not a choice," she said.
Oni made up part of the panel moderated by Mail & Guardian Editor-In-Chief at Wednesday's session at the World Economic Forum on Combating Diseases of Poverty.
Discussion among the panel, which also included leaders from the pharmaceutical industry such as Pfizer and Merck, as well as Ellen Agler from The End Fund in the US, agreed that health policies regarding diseases found in poverty stricken areas need to be addressed at a broader level and develop policies which incorporate socio-economic factors.
"For example caused by worms require vector and water control. We sometimes find eradicable diuseases surge back," said Ellen Agler.
Kenya's Minister of Health Cheopa Mailu shared his country's policy's to address health challenges among the poor which focus on mother to child and maternal services. They also focused on ensuring that all disabled people, orphans and senior citizens over 65 are insured with a national hospital insurance.
"Governments can put in place practical strategies to bridge the gap," said Mailu.
Naveen Rao, Merck for Mothers, said they also focus on mother-tochild and maternal healthcare issues.
"If a mother dies in childbirth, it is a signal of failure. Poverty and disease are two sides of a bad coin and they are inextricably linked," sad Rao, adding that of the 20 countries with the highest mortality rates, 17 of these are the world's poorest countries.
The panel discussion also highlighted that with many diseases treated in poverty ridden areas, the patient is sent back into the living conditions which are a key factor in the cause of the disease.
"We focus on treatment, but neglect the fact we are sending them back into the conditions which caused the problem in the first place," said Oni.
The panel agreed that public health needs to be the concern, not only of each government's health department, but also across other governmental departments, as well as the medical and private sectors.
The private sector has particularly played a pivotal role in funding research, for example cervical cancer, for which Rao said there is now a vaccine and the possibility of eradicating the disease.
The panel also agreed that research needed to be translated into action and more communication between researchers and policy holders is required to ""bridge the chasm between research and reaching communities in need", with a key solution being overseas stakeholders working more closely with African universities.