Saturday, February 27, 2010

A New Prescription Needed for Global Health


According to experts gathered at a United Nations forum on Friday, 60% of all global deaths are attributed to "preventable, non-communicable diseases such as heart-attacks, strokes, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory illness."

These same experts are attending a conference whose goal is to draw up plans to reverse this trend, particularly in developing countries.

"Diseases once associated with abundance are now heavily concentrated in poor and disadvataged groups...developing countries have the greatest vulnerability" WHO Director-General Margaret Chan stated.

UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, philanthropic foundations and the private sector are seeking to focus on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries through collective advocacy, increasing resources and promoting effective global and regional action "to strengthen national capacity."

- Tiffanie Depew

SOURCE: UN News Centre