WHO ups ante on NCDs

A new World Health Organization report is said to highlight the need to intensify national action to meet the global targets governments have agreed to protect people from heart disease, cancers, diabetes, and lung diseases.

‘Globally, these 4 non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent the largest cause of death in people aged under 70 years, posing a major threat to sustainable development,’ the WHO said in a press note.

‘The global survey, Assessing national capacity for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, shows that some countries are making remarkable progress. A number of countries have put in place measures to protect people from exposure to tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. Some have created new financing opportunities to build strong public health systems by taxing tobacco products.’

“Countries, including some of the poorest, are showing it is feasible to make progress and reduce premature deaths from NCDs,” said Dr. Oleg Chestnov, assistant director-general at WHO. “But that progress, particularly in low and middle-income countries, is insufficient and uneven.”

“If countries continue on this trajectory, there is no way they will all meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target of reducing, by one-third, premature mortality from NCDs.”

The WHO note is at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2016/noncommunicable-diseases-global-commitments/en/