Non-infectious diseases "disaster" - world forum
Thursday April 28th, 2011
Millions of people worldwide are dying from preventable, non-infectious diseases, according to a major analysis published yesterday.
Increases
in heart disease, diabetes and cancer represent an "impending disaster"
for some countries, according to the World Health Organisation.
WHO called for tougher global action to prevent disease - by cracking down on tobacco and encouraging healthy lifestyles.
It said access to essential health care would also make a difference.
According to its first annual report on non-communicable diseases, more than 36 million people a year die from these diseases - and 80 per cent of these deaths take place in poor or middle-income countries.
Nearly half the deaths - 17 million - were from heart disease.
Some 300 experts have gathered in Moscow, Russia, for a forum on the topic organised in advance of a gathering of health ministers this week.
WHO director general Dr Margaret Chan said: "Chronic non-communicable diseases deliver a two-punch blow to development. They cause billions of dollars in losses of national income, and they push millions of people below the poverty line, each and every year."
She added: "The rise of chronic non-communicable diseases presents an enormous challenge.
"For some countries, it is no exaggeration to describe the situation as an impending disaster; a disaster for health, for society, and most of all for national economies."
Tags: Cancer | Diabetes | Heart Health | World Health
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