Wake-up call for Africa's health ministers

"The importance of Non Communicable Diseases can no longer be ignored," said Professor Jean Claude Mbanya of the International Diabetes Federation. "NCDs are as much a threat to health systems as communicable diseases such as TB or HIV/AIDS".

Non-communicable diseases are considered a barrier to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and will be the subject of a UN summit scheduled for September next year. "The Forum will set the scene for the UN Summit in 2011 by determining what the agenda should be for Africa and setting clear and actionable strategies for addressing Non-communicable diseases," added Mbanya.