NCDs

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) – mainly cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes – are the #1 cause of death and disability worldwide.

NCDs (Noncommunicable diseases) could be largely prevented if action is taken to address their common risk factors, especially when the poorest and most vulnerable populations are put at the centre.

Fast Facts

What are the top noncommunicable diseases?

NCDs are a relatively new priority on the global health agenda, with the first UN High-Level Meetings on NCDs taking place in 2011 and 2014. These focused on a ‘4x4’ approach; that is, four main NCDs – cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases – and four main modifiable risk factors – tobacco and alcohol use, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity.

In 2018, the third UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs also formally recognised mental health and air pollution as core components of the NCD response, thereby introducing the ‘5x5’ approach. While the top five diseases make up the largest burden of morbidity and mortality from NCDs, there are hundreds of other important diseases and conditions that also need addressing outside the 5x5 to tackle NCDs.

5x5 Diseases

Conditions outside the 5x5

Social and economic determinants of NCDs

NCDs affect everyone, everywhere. 41 million people die every year due to an NCD, accounting for 74% of all deaths worldwide, and annual deaths from NCDs are projected to escalate to 52 million by 2030.

However, most NCDs are preventable, with poor health largely driven by five main modifiable risk factors: tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, alcohol use and air pollution.

NCDs are a sustainable development issue

NCDs represent far more than a health issue – they are a major development and human rights issue, as they disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable populations. This is due in part to some NCD risk factors being more prevalent among poorer communities than in those with high socioeconomic status.

A country’s stage of economic development, cultural factors, and social and health policies also influence the chances of surviving an NCD. People in poor countries and communities generally have worse access to health care for timely diagnosis and treatment of NCDs, and conditions must be managed with limited resources.

At a household level, most people in LMICs pay out-of-pocket for much of their NCD treatment and care. Out-of-pocket health expenses push an estimated 100 million people worldwide into extreme poverty every year, and also contribute to constraining the “bottom billion” in chronic poverty.

If the global community is to meet Sustainable Development Goal targets for 2030, NCDs must be urgently addressed.

From commitment to action

Since 2010, NCDs have been rising on national and global health and development agendas. Since then, there have been a series of political commitments made, including the landmark 2011 UN Political Declaration on NCD Prevention and Control, the 2025 global NCD targets, the WHO Global NCD Action Plan 2013-2020, and the integration of NCDs into 2015 Sustainable Development Goals.

All of these commitments prioritise health as a central factor in promoting and achieving sustainable social, economic and environmental development. The world now has a truly global agenda for prevention and control of NCDs, with shared responsibilities for all countries based on concrete targets – yet the necessary action and investment has been unacceptable slow to follow. Scaling up and accelerating action on NCDs should be seen as the fulfilment of a promise by governments, and a moral imperative rather than a choice.

Tag Feed: Noncommunicable diseases

NCD advocates meet in New York to call on governments to advance care and UHC

18th July 2023 Noncommunicable disease (NCD) advocates from around the world joined forces in New York from 11 to 13 July to strategise on how to persuade heads of state and government to take leadership at the upcoming UN High-level Meeting (HLM) on Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Climate change impacts on health growing more deadly, says the Lancet Countdown

31st October 2022 Inaction on climate change has major health costs. According to a new report, fossil fuels contributed to 1.3 million deaths from outdoor air pollution in 2020.

A call to integrate chronic diseases in pandemic preparedness and response

18th October 2022 "NCDs must no longer be seen as an afterthought to pandemic preparedness and response – but as a fundamental component of resilience, equity, and economic stability. These two agendas need to be linked", Anne Lise Ryel, NCDA President.

Rwanda NCD Alliance receives prestigious Primary Health Care Award

21st September 2022 The Rwanda NCD Alliance has been selected as a recipient of the 2022 UN Interagency Task Force and the WHO Special Programme on Primary Health Care Award. The award recognises their work in building multisectoral collaboration on NCDs in Rwanda.

INTERVIEW: The story behind South Africa's new NCD strategy

20th September 2022 South Africa has launched its new NCD strategy, The National Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, 2022-2027.In this interview, Dr. Vicki Pinkney-Atkinson is Director of the South African NCD Alliance, which worked with the government over eight years to complete the document discusses the process and results.

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