Forum to reinforce Africa's capacity in human genetics opens in Dakar

The 9th congress of African Society for Human Genetics opened on Sunday in Dakar to reinforce the continent's capacities in human genetics.

The meeting that will be held until May 17, brings together doctors and specialists in genetic diseases from several African countries, as well as from technical and financial partners.

The forum is always held after every two years in an African capital.

The choice of this year's theme,'Reinforcing Africa's capacities in Human Genetics'was motivated by the fact that Africa still lags behind in the area of genetics.

"But this does not mean that Africans are less intelligent than others. To address this challenge, we should start enhancing capacities in this area as soon as possible," Senegalese doctor, Oumar Faye, who was a member of the organizing committee, said.

On his part, Dr. Ambroise Wonkam from Cameroon who is a human genetics expert, said the starting point for research on genetic diseases is diagnosis. The second aspect is prevention.

"We know some people will develop some diseases because of genetic predispositions. Systematic research will help to establish prevention measures for those who could be predispositioned to diseases such as cancer," he said.

"Genetics should be a strategic priority for every country, because this goes beyond medicine. It is an area that every country should prioritize because the implication is major," Wonkam said.

According to Democratic Republic of Congo's Prosper Tshilobo Lukusa, the challenge of resolving the issue of genetic diseases in Africa is how to "convince governments and policy makers."

"The biggest challenge is funding. The cost of genetic analysis is very high. In many countries, most people are poor and cannot afford to pay for their treatment. We should therefore find a system that can guarantee access to medication for everyone," he recommended.

According to specialists, in Africa and more particularly in Central Africa, sickle cell disease and albinism are genetic diseases that cause a lot of public health problems. Endit