Infection

• Across the continent the urban share of the total population is projected to increase to 50% by 2030 and 60% by 2050.
• Urbanisation is associated with lifestyle changes such as less physical activity and less labour-intensive work.
• This is often accompanied by an increased intake of high-calorie fast foods, snacks, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Food diaries

• Using data from food diaries recorded by 1,506 households over a two-week period, I calculated how many calories, macronutrients and micronutrients were consumed and compared them to the recommended requirements for a healthy life.
• Besides food diaries, our data also included information on household characteristics and their socioeconomic status.

Homegrown or highly processed?

• This was because they were not eating sufficient quantities of food.
• Most food was home-grown, which provided beneficial nutrients, but diets were not diverse enough to provide all the nutrients needed for healthy living.
• At the opposite end of the scale, residents of Dar es Salaam also ate unhealthy diets, but for very different reasons.

Calories, nutrients or a lack thereof

• Rural households primarily consumed starches, cereals, vegetables and fruit, making up 29%, 21%, 12% and 7% of their diet respectively.
• Plantains, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes and spinach were the most consumed food items in rural areas.
• Many of these nutrients are found in animal foods, which made up a small share of rural diets.
• In terms of quantity, these households tended to consume more, leading to lower levels of nutritional deficiencies than in rural areas.
• About 26% of households did not meet the recommended calorie intake, but this was significantly better than in rural areas.

Next steps

• At the same time, overconsumption of potentially harmful food substances such as fats and sugars can lead to health risks such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• The findings highlight the need for a varied approach to dealing with nutrient intake and tackling problems such as rising obesity rates.

Hannah Ameye does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Orphan designation: (S)-2-isobutyrylamino-pentanedioic acid 5-amide 1-{[(2S,5S,8S,11R,12S,15S,18S,21R)-2,8-bis-((S)-sec-butyl)-21-hydroxy-5-(4-hydroxy-benzyl)-15-isobutyl-4,11-dimethyl-3,6,9,13,16,22-hexaoxo-10-oxa-1,4,7,14,17-pentaaza-bicyclo[16.3.1]docos-12-yl]-amide} Treatment of Netherton syndrome, 17/10/2019 Positive

• Overview
  This medicine was designated as an orphan medicine for the prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the European Union on 14 January 2022.
• All medicines, including designated orphan medicines, must be authorised before they can be marketed and made available to patients in the EU.
• The full list of orphan designations is available in the Community register of orphan medicinal products for human use.
• EU register of orphan medicines
  The list of medicines that have received an orphan designation in the EU is available on the European Commission's website:

• Overview
  On 26 February 2019, orphan designation (EU/3/19/2135) was granted by the European Commission to Enzyvant Therapeutics Ireland Limited, Ireland, for allogeneic cultured postnatal thymus-derived tissue (also known as RVT-802) for the treatment of DiGeorge syndrome.
• DiGeorge syndrome is a long-term debilitating condition that may be life-threatening particularly because of the heart problems and serious infections.
• At the time of application for orphan designation, there was no satisfactory treatment for DiGeorge syndrome authorised in the EU.
• Orphan designation of the medicine had been granted in the United States for treatment of patients with complete DiGeorge anomaly.