The new crisis after HIV/AIDS knocks at the door

Makgato is out to ensure longer, healthier lives for Batswana by fighting obesity, among others
Makgato is out to ensure longer, healthier lives for Batswana by fighting obesity, among others

Batswana rose up as one a few decades ago when the biggest ever threat to their existence came knocking on the door, via the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS. Today, thanks to several interventions, the epidemic has plateaued, but a fresh, even more sinister public health threat is rising. Mmegi Staff Writer, PINI BOTHOKO reports on an epidemic now banging on the doors of the country’s defences

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, stroke, diabetes and chronic respiratory disorders such as chronic obstructed pulmonary disease and asthma, are ballooning in Botswana at a rate so alarming that even the highest health authorities are calling them the “new HIV/AIDS”.

By some reports, NCDs account for 37% of deaths from diseases annually in Botswana!

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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