01833nas a2200157   4500000000100000008004100001100001700042700001400059700001300073245012100086856007900207300001300286490000700299520135500306022001401661       2018                            d1 aOsakunor DNM1 aSengeh DM1 aMutapi F00aCoinfections and comorbidities in African health systems: At the interface of infectious and noninfectious diseases.  uhttps://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0006711  ae00067110 v123 a<p>There is a disease epidemiological transition occurring in Africa, with increasing incidence of noninfectious diseases, superimposed on a health system historically geared more toward the management of communicable diseases. The persistence and sometimes emergence of new pathogens allows for the occurrence of coinfections and comorbidities due to both infectious and noninfectious diseases. There is therefore a need to rethink and restructure African health systems to successfully address this transition. The historical focus of more health resources on infectious diseases requires revision. We hypothesise that the growing burden of noninfectious diseases may be linked directly and indirectly to or further exacerbated by the existence of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and other infectious diseases within the population. Herein, we discuss the health burden of coinfections and comorbidities and the challenges to implementing effective and sustainable healthcare in Africa. We also discuss how existing NTD and infectious disease intervention programs in Africa can be leveraged for noninfectious disease intervention. Furthermore, we explore the potential for new technologies-including artificial intelligence and multiplex approaches-for diagnosis and management of chronic diseases for improved health provision in Africa.</p>
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