The global fight toward the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases is not faring well — at least according to the latest World Health Organization report on countries’ progress against the nine voluntary targets member states adopted years ago on the disease.
The data, under annex 3 of the report and presented during this week’s 69th World Health Assembly in Geneva, hardly shows any movement from 2010 to 2014 on countries’ progress in terms of reductions in overall mortality rates from the four deadliest NCDs: cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, cancer and diabetes.
There is also no available data on most behavioral risk factors such as physical activity, tobacco use and salt intake; nor on the availability of quality, safe and affordable medicines and technologies to prevent and treat major NCDs, according to the WHO report. Data on country comparable estimates of adult and adolescent physical activity are still under development, and won’t be available until November 2016.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
