• Non-communicable diseases (NCDs)

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs)

In this report, the World Health Organization (WHO) presents data which shows that 80 per cent of the 35 million premature deaths from chronic diseases (including heart disease, stroke and cancer) during 2005 will occur in low and middle income countries. Projected figures also suggest that the number of deaths from chronic disease is growing, with men and women equally affected. In China, India and the Russian Federation, the cost of treating chronic disease is estimated at ten billion dollars over the next decade, likely to significantly hinder economic development in those countries. As the number of people with chronic disease increases, more families and communities are becoming impoverished as a result – the situation is made worse by the fact that chronic disease typically affects those in their most economically productive years. Despite this, it remains unrecognised as a cause of poverty.

The report presents information about chronic diseases and their risk factors, dispelling some of the myths which contribute to their global neglect, alongside regional and country specific data. It emphasises that effective, low-cost interventions to prevent chronic disease already exist and can be implemented in a step-wise manner even in the poorest settings. What is needed is the political will to ensure a comprehensive, integrated approach to this growing crisis.

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