[afro-nets] Preventing chronic diseases: a vital investment

[Menno van Hilten <vanhiltenm@who.int>]

Preventing chronic diseases: a vital investment
-----------------------------------------------
 
Dear colleagues,
 
Just a short note to let you know that WHO has published a major 
new report, Preventing chronic diseases: a vital investment, 
which unveils extensive new epidemiological and economic infor-
mation that dispels many common misunderstandings about heart 
disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes 
and other chronic diseases, for example that these diseases are 
not significant problems in developing countries.
 
Contrary to common perception, this largely invisible epidemic 
is worst in developing countries, where 80% of all the global 
chronic disease deaths occur. At the same time, at least 80% of 
premature heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, and 40% of 
all cancers can be prevented by taking action against known dis-
ease risk factors.
 
The report also dispels the misunderstanding that chronic dis-
eases are 'diseases of affluence': in reality, the poor are 
hardest hit by chronic disease, and these diseases often causes 
individuals and families to fall into a cycle of deepening pov-
erty.
 
The report also quantifies the macroeconomic impact of chronic 
diseases and shows that premature deaths in countries such as 
Brazil, China, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Russian Federation 
and Tanzania are projected to cost hundreds of billions of dol-
lars over the next 10 years. The estimated accumulated losses to 
China from 2005 to 2015, for example, are US$ 558 billion, for 
India US$ 236 billion, and US$ 303 billion for the Russian Fed-
eration.
 
More information
* Copy of the full report:
http://www.who.int/entity/chp/chronic_disease_report/full_report.pdf

* Summary of the report in Arabic:
http://www.who.int/entity/chp/chronic_disease_report/overview_ar.pdf
Chinese:
http://www.who.int/entity/chp/chronic_disease_report/overview_ch.pdf
French:
http://www.who.int/entity/chp/chronic_disease_report/overview_fr.pdf
Russian:
http://www.who.int/entity/chp/chronic_disease_report/overview_ru.pdf
and Spanish:
http://www.who.int/entity/chp/chronic_disease_report/overview_sp.pdf
 
* 10 widespread misunderstandings (e.g. developing countries 
should control infectious diseases before chronic diseases) - 
and reality:
http://www.who.int/chp/chronic_disease_report/media/presentation1.pdf
 
* Video Footage:
http://hqswvilib.who.int:85/streaming/chronicdiseases/broll.wmv
 
* Press release in English:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2005/pr47/en/index.html
Chinese:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2005/pr47/zh/index.html
French:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2005/pr47/fr/index.html
and Spanish:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2005/pr47/es/index.html
 
* Additional information:
http://www.who.int/chp/chronic_disease_report/en/
 
In addition, the Lancet 
http://www.thelancet.com/collections/series/chronic_diseases has 
issued a 4 part series, including an editorial in support of the 
MDGs to be expanded (see below) to include chronic diseases. The 
World Heart Federation issued a similar supporting statement:
http://www.worldheart.org/pdf/press.releases.whf.supports.who.oct05.pdf 
Several countries have already modified their targets and indi-
cators to include chronic diseases.
 
Trust you'll find this interesting. Please do not hesitate to 
contact us if you would like to discuss the material.
 
With best regards,
 
Menno van Hilten
Office of the Assistant Director-General
Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health
World Health Organization
Geneva, Switzerland
Tel.: +41-22-791-2675
Mob.: +41-79-457-0929
mailto:vanhiltenm@who.int
http://www.who.int/nmh
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: The Editor of The Lancet <lancetmkt@elsevier-alerts.com>
Reply-To: "The Editor of The Lancet" <lancetmkt-e2-
Subject: The neglected epidemic
Date: Wed, 5 Oct 2005 14:05:17 -0500
 
The reduction of chronic disease is not a Millennium Development 
Goal (MDG). While the political fashions have embraced some dis-
eases ­ HIV-AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, in particular ­ 
many other common conditions remain marginal to the mainstream 
of global action on health. Chronic diseases are among these ne-
glected conditions.
 
Chronic diseases represent a huge proportion of human illness. 
They include cardiovascular disease (30% of projected total 
worldwide deaths in 2005), cancer (13%), chronic respiratory 
diseases (7%), and diabetes (2%). Two risk factors underlying 
these conditions are key to any population-wide strategy of con-
trol ­ tobacco use and obesity. These risks and the diseases 
they engender are not the exclusive preserve of rich nations.
 
Quite the contrary.[1] Chronic diseases are a larger problem in 
low-income settings. Research into chronic diseases in resource- 
poor nations remains embryonic. But what evidence there is [2,3] 
shows just how critical it will be to intervene early in the 
epidemic?s course. There is an unusual opportunity before us to 
act now to prevent the needless deaths of millions. Do we have 
the insight and resolve to respond?
 
With a new series of articles,[4?7] for which we thank the su-
perb efforts of Robert Beaglehole, The Lancet aims to fill a gap 
in the global dialogue about disease. It is a surprising and im-
portant gap, one that health workers and policymakers can no 
longer afford to ignore. The call by Kathleen Strong and col-
leagues[4] for the world to set a target to reduce deaths from 
chronic disease by 2% annually­to prevent 36 million deaths by 
2015 ­ deserves to be added to the existing eight MDGs.
 
Without concerted and coordinated political action, the gains 
achieved in reducing the burden of infectious disease will be 
washed away as a new wave of preventable illness engulfs those 
least able to protect themselves. Let this series be part of a 
>new international commitment to deny that outcome.
 
Richard Horton
The Lancet, London NW1 7BY, UK
 
Please click on the link below to view the articles:
http://www.thelancet.com/collections/series/chronic_diseases
 
1 Preventing chronic diseases: how many lives can we save?
Strong K, Mathers C, Leeder S, Beaglehole R
Lancet 2005; published online Oct 5
 
2 Preventing chronic diseases: taking stepwise action
Epping-Jordan JE, Galea G, Tukuitonga C, Beaglehole R
Lancet 2005; published online Oct 5
 
3 Responding to the threat of chronic diseases in India
Reddy KS, Shah B, Varghese C, Ramadoss A
Lancet 2005; published online Oct 5
 
4 Preventing chronic diseases in China
Wang L, Kong L, Wu F, Bai Y, Burton R
Lancet 2005; published online Oct 5