Why Are We Getting Sick So Young? Africa Must Start Asking the Difficult Questions

There is a question that deserves far more serious attention in Ghana and across Africa: Why do we seem to be seeing so many people becoming seriously ill at relatively young ages? Every day, we hear of someone in his or her 20s, 30s or 40s suffering from diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, liver disease, hypertension, stroke, heart problems or other chronic conditions. We hear of young people collapsing and dying unexpectedly. We hear of families struggling with illnesses that require years of treatment and enormous financial resources. Some of these diseases are certainly not new. Africa has always experienced disease and premature death. But the nature of our environment, food systems, lifestyles and exposure to chemicals has changed dramatically. That change should compel us to ask questions. Not questions based on fear. Not questions based on conspiracy theories. Not questions designed to blame particular medicines, vaccines, industries or institutions without evidence. Rather, questions based on science, public health and our responsibility to protect present and future generations.

What Has Changed?
Our grandparents did not necessarily live healthier lives in every respect. Many died from infectious diseases, childbirth complications, accidents, malnutrition and conditions for which modern medicine now provides effective treatment. But many older Africans also lived in environments that were substantially different from ours.

Food was often less processed. Water sources were different. People walked more. Physical labour was more common. Portions and eating patterns were different. There was less exposure to some industrial chemicals and synthetic products. Today, our exposure to chemicals, processed foods, environmental pollutants and other potential health risks has increased enormously.

The question therefore is not whether modern life is responsible for every illness. It clearly is not. The question is: What health consequences are associated with the changes taking place around us, and are we investigating them adequately? That is a legitimate public-health question.

What Are We Putting Into Our Food?

Take agriculture. Farmers need pesticides to protect crops. Pesticides can play an important role in food production. But their safe use depends on correct application, appropriate dosage, proper storage and compliance with withdrawal periods before crops are harvested. What happens when these rules are ignored? What happens when banned or unapproved chemicals enter the agricultural system? What happens when farmers, traders or consumers do not understand the health implications of improper pesticide use? And how frequently are our foods actually tested for pesticide residues? These are not questions for social media speculation. They are questions for laboratories, regulators, agricultural authorities, universities and public-health institutions.

And What about Genetically Modified Foods?

The debate over genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, is another area where emotions often replace evidence. There is a legitimate public discussion to be had about agricultural biotechnology, food security, environmental effects, labelling, corporate control of seeds and consumer choice. But we should distinguish between legitimate questions and unsupported claims. If a genetically modified food is approved for consumption, the public should be able to access the scientific basis for that approval. If there are risks, they should be identified and investigated. If there are no demonstrated risks under approved conditions that should also be communicated clearly. Public confidence comes from transparency, not secrecy.

What About the Medicines We Buy?
The pharmaceutical question is even more serious. Africa has struggled for years with counterfeit, substandard and falsified medicines. A medicine that contains the wrong ingredient, too little active ingredient, the wrong dosage --- or no active ingredient at all --- can kill. Yet people can sometimes obtain medicines outside properly regulated channels. Some buy drugs from unlicensed vendors. Some purchase medicines recommended by friends. Some share prescriptions. Some stop taking prescribed medicines when they feel better. Others combine conventional medicines with herbal preparations without informing their doctors.

There is also the problem of antimicrobial resistance caused partly by inappropriate use of antibiotics. This is not a theoretical problem. It is a public-health emergency.

We therefore need stronger medicine regulation, better inspection, reliable laboratories, effective enforcement and greater public education.

What Are We Importing?
Another question deserves attention: How thoroughly are we inspecting what enters Ghana and other African countries? We import food. We import medicines. We import cosmetics. We import chemicals. We import beverages. We import agricultural products. We import industrial materials and consumer goods.

• But how much of what enters our ports and borders is subjected to meaningful inspection and laboratory testing?
• Are our regulatory agencies adequately resourced?
• Do they have enough laboratories?
• Do they have sufficient personnel?
• Are samples taken systematically?
• Are dangerous products intercepted?
• And when unsafe products are discovered, are the public and affected consumers informed?

A country cannot protect its population merely by passing regulations. Regulations must be enforced.

What Are Our Own Factories Producing?

We should also look inward. It is easy to blame imported goods. But what about products manufactured here? What are our local factories producing? What chemicals are being discharged? What is being released into the air? What is entering our rivers and groundwater? How are industrial wastes being handled? What ingredients are being used in processed foods? How regularly are factories inspected? Are standards enforced equally against large companies and small producers? Do consumers know what they are buying?

Industrialization is essential to Africa's development. We need factories, jobs and domestic production. But development should not mean sacrificing public health. A factory that creates employment while poisoning the surrounding community is not sustainable development.

What about Our Restaurants and Eateries?

Then there is the food we eat every day. Walk through almost any Ghanaian town or city and you will find restaurants, chop bars, street-food vendors, bakeries, fast-food outlets and small food-processing businesses. They are found in Lusaka, Lagos, Lamakara. They feed millions of people. But how often are they inspected? How clean are their kitchens? What is the quality of their water? How is food stored? Are refrigeration standards maintained? Are cooking oils repeatedly reused? Are the kitchens shared with rodents and reptiles? Are food handlers medically screened where required? How is waste disposed of? Are expired ingredients being used? Do local authorities have enough environmental health officers to conduct meaningful inspections? These questions matter because food safety is not simply about taste. Food can nourish us --- or make us sick.

Then There Is Water
Water deserves special attention. Ghana's rivers and streams are under enormous pressure. Illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, has devastated sections of our water bodies. Chemicals used in mining can contaminate soil and water. Communities depending on polluted water sources may face serious health risks. And even where water is treated, the safety of the entire supply chain matters --- from the source to the treatment plant, through distribution systems and household storage. We cannot talk seriously about public health while ignoring environmental degradation. A polluted river is not merely an environmental problem. It is a health problem.

What about Air Pollution?
The same applies to the air we breathe. Vehicle emissions. Industrial emissions. Open burning. Dust. Construction activities. Burning plastics and household waste. Smoke from various sources. These exposures deserve greater attention. We often discuss pollution as though it is an abstract environmental issue. It is not. People breathe the air every second of their lives.

Lifestyle Matters Too
But we must also be honest with ourselves. Not everything can be blamed on pesticides, factories, imported products or pollution. Our lifestyles have changed. Physical activity has declined for many people. Highly processed foods are increasingly accessible. Sugar-sweetened beverages are widely consumed. Alcohol consumption remains a concern. Tobacco and other substances cause enormous harm. Illicit drugs are increasingly affecting young people. Sleep patterns have changed. Stress has become a permanent feature of modern life. Many people spend hours sitting in front of screens but very little time exercising. These factors can contribute to obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions. Therefore, the conversation must be balanced. Environmental responsibility and personal responsibility must go together.

What about Substance Abuse?
Africa is also facing a growing substance-abuse challenge. Young people are experimenting with substances that may damage the brain, heart, liver and other organs. Some substances are sold openly. Others circulate secretly. Some young people may not even know exactly what they are consuming because illicit drugs can contain unknown chemicals or mixtures.

We need more than arrests. We need prevention. We need education. We need rehabilitation. We need families, schools, religious institutions, health professionals and governments working together. And we need to stop treating addiction simply as a moral failure. It is also a public-health issue.

Where Are the Postmortem Answers?

There is another question that we rarely ask loudly enough: What do our postmortem examinations actually show? When a relatively young person dies suddenly, do we always establish the cause? When someone dies unexpectedly, is an autopsy performed where medically and legally appropriate? Are causes of death systematically recorded? Are these data analyzed nationally?

Can Ghana tell us, with confidence, how many people aged 20–40 die each year from heart disease, stroke, cancer, kidney disease, liver disease, poisoning, substance abuse, infectious disease and other causes? And are we using those statistics to shape national health policy? If we do not have reliable data, how can we identify emerging patterns? We cannot manage what we do not measure.

Cancer Requires Serious Investigation --- Not Panic

The discussion about cancer must be especially careful. Cancer is not one disease. It consists of many different diseases with different causes and risk factors. Genetics can play a role. Age can play a role. Infections can play a role. Tobacco, alcohol, obesity, diet, occupational exposures, radiation and environmental factors can contribute to particular cancers.

But when people observe apparently increasing cancer among younger people, the correct response is neither dismissal nor panic. It is investigation. Are cancer registries sufficiently comprehensive? Are cases being diagnosed earlier? Are diagnoses improving? Are particular cancers increasing among particular age groups? Are environmental exposures contributing? Are occupational exposures being monitored? Are there geographical clusters? These questions require epidemiologists, oncologists, toxicologists, environmental scientists, pathologists and statisticians. We need evidence, not rumours.

Africa Must Invest in Surveillance

This is where the wider African problem becomes apparent. We cannot depend entirely on data generated elsewhere to understand diseases affecting African populations. We need strong national health surveillance systems. We need functioning laboratories. We need environmental monitoring. We need food-safety laboratories. We need pharmaceutical-quality laboratories. We need cancer registries. We need reliable death certificates and postmortem systems. We need researchers who can investigate the relationship between environmental exposures and disease. We need universities working closely with government. And we need the results made available to the public.

Regulators Must Be More Visible
Institutions responsible for protecting the public must also communicate more effectively. The Food and Drugs Authority. The Environmental Protection Agency. The Ghana Standards Authority. The Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Local assemblies. The various health professions. Consumer Protection NGOs. They all have responsibilities. The public should know what they inspect. How often do they inspect? What products have failed tests? What businesses have been sanctioned? What food products have been recalled? What medicines have been declared unsafe? What water sources have been found contaminated? What industrial facilities have violated environmental standards? Public regulation should not operate in darkness. Transparency builds public confidence.

We Must Also Examine Ourselves
Government has responsibilities. Industry has responsibilities. Regulators have responsibilities. But citizens also have responsibilities. We must stop buying medicines simply because somebody recommended them. We must stop assuming that every herbal preparation is automatically safe because it is “natural.” We must read labels. We must pay attention to food hygiene. We must exercise. We must avoid tobacco and harmful substances. We must moderate alcohol consumption. We must seek medical attention when symptoms persist. We must undergo appropriate screening as recommended by qualified health professionals.

And we must stop believing every health claim circulated through WhatsApp and Facebook and TikTok. And we must stop consulting AI to diagnose and prescribe medications for us. There is nothing wrong with asking questions. But questions must lead us toward evidence, not away from it.

The Bigger Question
The most important question may therefore not be: “Why are so many people getting sick?” It may be: “Are we doing enough to find out why?” That is the question Ghana --- and Africa --- must confront. We need to know what is in our food. We need to know what is in our water. We need to know what is in our medicines. We need to know what is entering our ports. We need to know what our factories are releasing. We need to know what our rivers contain. We need to know what our farmers are applying to crops. We need to know what our food vendors are serving. We need to know what substances our young people are consuming. And when someone dies unexpectedly, we should seek the truth about the cause of death rather than simply saying, “God knows best.” Faith and science are not enemies. We can believe in God and still conduct an autopsy. We can pray for the sick and still investigate the water they drink. We can thank God for medicine and still demand that medicines be properly tested. We can support industrialization while demanding that industries comply with environmental standards. We can embrace agricultural technology while demanding evidence of safety. Asking questions is not rebellion. Asking questions is part of protecting society.

We Owe Future Generations Answers

Our children will inherit the environment we create. If our rivers are polluted, they inherit polluted rivers. If our soil is contaminated, they inherit contaminated soil. If our food systems are poorly regulated, they inherit those risks. If counterfeit medicines circulate freely, they inherit the consequences. If we ignore substance abuse, they inherit its social and health costs. If we fail to collect reliable health data today, tomorrow's doctors and policymakers will be forced to make decisions in the dark. This is therefore not merely about today's patients. It is about tomorrow's population.

We should not accept premature death and chronic illness as inevitable features of modern African life. But neither should we frighten people with unproven explanations. The responsible approach is much harder --- Investigate. Measure. Test. Monitor. Regulate. Educate. Publish the evidence. Act on it. That is how a serious society protects its people.

Perhaps the time has come for Ghana to undertake a comprehensive national public-health and environmental exposure assessment --- covering food, water, medicines, pesticides, industrial pollution, mining contamination, air quality, substance abuse, lifestyle-related disease and causes of premature death. Let the scientists investigate. Let the laboratories test. Let the pathologists tell us what the dead are telling us. Let the regulators publish their findings. Let Parliament demand accountability. And let the public see the evidence. Because the question is not whether we should be afraid.

The question is whether we are curious enough, courageous enough and responsible enough to find out what is happening to our people. Our health is too important to be left to speculation. And the lives of our children and grandchildren are too valuable for us to wait until the evidence becomes impossible to ignore.

{I must acknowledge Sis Linda Werwa's original piece which I read on Facebook, which prompted me to write this article.}

FUSEINI ABDULAI BRAIMAH
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