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In a substantial number, which seems very important, noncommunicable diseases, such as those related to heart, cancer and diabetes, are responsible for 74% of deaths worldwide, while taking decisive action to address the factors that promote infection. save tens of millions, according to WHO Global Health.
A recent report released Wednesday by the World Health Organization indicated that noncommunicable diseases that can be prevented in many cases and that people contract as a result of adopting an unhealthy lifestyle or living in unsuitable conditions cause 41 million. of deaths per year, including 17 million under the age of seventy.
The World Health Organization has confirmed that heart disease, cancer, diabetes and respiratory diseases are currently the leading causes of death worldwide, followed by infectious diseases.
“Every two seconds a person under the age of 70 dies from a noncommunicable disease,” said Benti Mikkelsen, head of the department dealing with this file at the World Health Organization, in a statement to reporters at Geneva.
He stressed that the amounts allocated to combat these diseases are very limited.
Noncommunicable diseases have a significant impact on the ability of infected people to resist infectious diseases, which was evident with the Covid-19 pandemic.
The report pointed out that the risk of exposure to severe Covid-19 symptoms and even death from virus infection increases for those suffering from obesity or diabetes.
The poorest … the most affected
The report stressed that “the problem is that the world ignores the data, even if it provides a clear picture of the situation.”
Contrary to popular perception, rich countries are not primarily concerned with these diseases. The report says 86% of premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases worldwide occur in low- and middle-income countries, where disease prevention and treatment are inadequate.
Mikkelsen stressed that the fight against non-communicable diseases is not just a health issue, but is linked to “equality”.
A noncommunicable disease dataset released Wednesday by the World Health Organization shows that the highest prevalence rates of deaths from cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the world, are recorded in countries such as Afghanistan and Mongolia.
“The environment in which people live often limits their decisions and makes healthy choices difficult, if not impossible,” the report said.
Although the numbers cited in the report are dangerous, the World Health Organization has confirmed that the problem in question can be solved to a large extent, because the main factors causing NCDs are known and identified, as well as the most appropriate method of treatment. .
Smoking, improper nutrition, alcohol consumption, lack of physical activity and air pollution are the main causes of the spread of non-communicable diseases.
Smoking alone kills more than eight million people every year. “More than one million of these deaths are non-smokers,” said Doug Beecher, chief advisor to the World Health Organization’s head on noncommunicable diseases.
Eight million more deaths are attributed to unhealthy diets they have adopted, eating too little or too much food, or even eating poor quality food.
Alcohol, which leads to cirrhosis and cancer, among other consequences, kills around 1.7 million people a year, while abstention from any physical activity causes the deaths of around 830,000 people.
However, the World Health Organization confirms the existence of scientifically proven means to reduce the factors that promote noncommunicable diseases, stressing that all countries and if these methods are adopted, 39 million lives could be saved in the next seven years. .
The report notes that allocating relatively small amounts of money to prevent and treat noncommunicable diseases can make a big difference.
Injecting an additional $ 18 billion annually in similar measures into poorer countries could lead to $ 2.7 trillion in net economic revenue over the next seven years.
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