@article{ref1,
title="The burden of non-communicable diseases in South Africa",
journal="Lancet",
year="2009",
author="Mayosi, Bongani M. and Flisher, Alan J. and Lalloo, Umesh G. and Sitas, Freddy and Tollman, Stephen M. and Bradshaw, Debbie",
volume="374",
number="9693",
pages="934-947",
abstract="15 years after its first democratic election, South Africa is in the midst of a profound health transition that is characterised by a quadruple burden of communicable, non-communicable, perinatal and maternal, and injury-related disorders. Non-communicable diseases are emerging in both rural and urban areas, most prominently in poor people living in urban settings, and are resulting in increasing pressure on acute and chronic health-care services. Major factors include demographic change leading to a rise in the proportion of people older than 60 years, despite the negative effect of HIV/AIDS on life expectancy. The burden of these diseases will probably increase as the roll-out of antiretroviral therapy takes effect and reduces mortality from HIV/AIDS. The scale of the challenge posed by the combined and growing burden of HIV/AIDS and non-communicable diseases demands an extraordinary response that South Africa is well able to provide. Concerted action is needed to strengthen the district-based primary health-care system, to integrate the care of chronic diseases and management of risk factors, to develop a national surveillance system, and to apply interventions of proven cost-effectiveness in the primary and secondary prevention of such diseases within populations and health services. We urge the launching of a national initiative to establish sites of service excellence in urban and rural settings throughout South Africa to trial, assess, and implement integrated care interventions for chronic infectious and non-communicable diseases.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0140-6736",
doi="10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61087-4",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61087-4"
}