A white symbol against a blue background made many appearances last week in New York during the launch of the World Health Organization’s global campaign around noncommunicable diseases.
The symbol isn’t a tree branch or an artery, though it bears resemblance. It’s a half ribbon; the four strokes that create it symbolize the four diseases that account for 82 percent of NCD deaths worldwide — cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes.
The symbol, created by WHO in collaboration with other actors working in the NCD space, borrows from the iconic red ribbon, which was created in 1991 by a group of artists to show support for those suffering from HIV and AIDS. The red ribbon eventually became instrumental in launching a movement to fight the disease; WHO hopes the NCD symbol will inspire the same.