Chronic ailments like heart disease, cancers and diabetes now account for almost half of deaths in Africa and will soon overtake the continent’s infectious disease toll, new research has found.

Between 1990 and 2023 the proportion of deaths caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) almost doubled, from 25 per cent to 45 per cent, with heart disease and strokes now the leading killers.

The shift is not unexpected: public health experts have long warned that although African countries are making huge strides cutting infectious disease deaths through vaccinations, better sanitation and improved healthcare, lifestyle changes pose a new threat.

But the continent is not necessarily ready to tackle this “epidemiological transition”, researchers warned, in a study published in the Lancet Global Health journal on Tuesday.

“Although the epidemiological transition is well recognised, the speed and scale of NCD growth in Africa is particularly concerning,” they wrote.

“Health systems face increasing demands for…