The experience of the Santé Diabète NGO in the fight against diabetes in Africa.

Several years ago, infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria were the principal health menace on an international scale. But, today, noncommunicable diseases (NCD), such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, are a health emergency in both high- and low-income countries. The NGO Santé Diabète (Diabetes Health) has now been developing actions for diabetes prevention and management in Africa for 15 years. The strategies they have developed combine advocacy, support for the Ministry of Health for the implementation of plans to fight NCDs, staff training, and the establishment of a structure for prevention and management. In Mali, these activities, begun a decade ago, now manage 15,000 patients with diabetes.