Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common noncommunicable diseases worldwide. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region there has been a rapid increase in the incidence
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of diabetes mellitus and it is now the fourth leading cause of death. The increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus, the emergence of diabetes complications as a cause of early morbidity and mortality, and the enormous and mounting burden on health care systems make diabetes a priority health concern. These guidelines provide up-to-date, reliable and balanced information for the prevention and care of diabetes mellitus in the Region. The information is evidence-based and clearly stated to facilitate the use of the guidelines in daily practice. They are intended to benefit physicians at primary, secondary and tertiary level, general practitioners, internists and family medicine specialists, clinical dieticians and nurses as well as policy-makers at ministries of health. They provide the information necessary for decision-making by health care providers and patients themselves about disease management in the most commonly encountered situations.
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While virtually unheard of in developed countries, NTDs are a group of medically diverse parasitic and bacterial infectious diseases common in trop
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ical and subtropical areas. NTDs affect more than 1.5 billion people annually, causing death, blindness, disfigurement, chronic pain, cognitive impairment and other long-term disabilities that create obstacles to education, employment, economic growth and overall
development. When measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), the NTD burden is greater than malaria or tuberculosis.
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Human health and well-being are intimately linked to the state of the environment. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), climate change, air pollution and exposure to hazardous chemicals are major causes o
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f environment-related burden of disease across the world. In the WHO South-East Asia Region, almost a quarter of all deaths are attributable to the health impacts of environmental hazards. Air pollution is the leading cause of deaths from environmental risks and is a leading contributor to the NCD epidemic.
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Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs) over the years have not been given much attention in Ghana and in most Low and Middle- Income Countries (LMICs). The overwhelming burden
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of communicable diseases and the scarcity of resources has led to the health of all residents in Ghana, NCDs still remain largely underfunded and less prioritized. Attempts in the past have achieved little success. The formulation of Ghana´s NCD policy in 2014 and the accompanying strategic plan is one such effort.
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The growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including disability, violence and injuries, has devastating health consequences for individ
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uals, families and communities and threatens to overwhelm health systems. It is recognized that failure to act on noncommunicable diseases in the short term would lead to massive cumulative output losses.
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Everyone, all over the world, deserves to live a long life in full health. In order to achieve this goal, we need a comprehensive picture of what disables and kills people across countries, time, age, and sex. The Global
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Burden of Disease (GBD) provides a tool to quantify health loss from hundreds of diseases, injuries, and risk factors, so that health systems can be improved and disparities can be eliminated.
You can have access to GBD Resources, Data Visualizations, Studies & Reports; Data, Country Profiles and the Lancet GBD Studies
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The "Global mapping report on multisectoral actions to strengthen the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health conditions" by the WHO provides insights into how di
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fferent countries are implementing multisectoral approaches to address NCDs and mental health issues. It highlights the importance of collaboration across sectors—such as health, education, finance, and urban planning—to tackle risk factors like tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and harmful alcohol use. The report categorizes actions into four pillars: governance, leadership, operational practices, and resources. It showcases examples from various countries and calls for improved multisectoral efforts to reduce the global burden of NCDs and enhance mental health outcomes.
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WHO has developed a new health kit to support treatment for chronic disease patients in emergency settings. The prevalence of NCDs is increasing worldwide, including in emergency/crisis-prone areas. Yet current humanitarian response has not accounte
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d for this emerging burden. The NCD kit attends to cover this gap by providing essential medicines and medical devices for the management of hypertension and cardiac conditions, diabetes and endocrine conditions, chronic respiratory diseases, and mental health and neurological conditions and neurological conditions for outpatient care in primary health care settings.
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The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) is the most comprehensive worldwide observational epidemiological study to date. It describes mortality and morbidity from major
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diseases, injuries and risk factors to health at global, national and regional levels. Examining trends from 1990 to the present and making comparisons across populations enables understanding of the changing health challenges facing people across the world in the 21st century.
Accessed July 4, 2019
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Emerging Infectious Diseases • www.cdc.gov/eid • Vol. 25, No. 12, December 2019 2183
Buruli ulcer is a neglected tropical disease caused by Myocobacterium ulcerans; it manifests as a skin lesion, nodule, or ulcer that can be extensive and disab
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ling. To assess the global burden and the progress on disease control, we analyzed epidemiologic data reported by countries to the World Health Organization during 2010–2017.
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The article examines the nutritional and lifestyle-related risk factors contributing to the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular
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diseases, diabetes, and cancer in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). It highlights the transition in the disease burden from communicable diseases to NCDs over the past 30 years. Key risk factors include obesity, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and high fasting plasma glucose. The article underscores the importance of promoting healthy dietary habits, physical activity, and policy interventions to curb NCDs in the region. It also discusses the economic and public health implications of these diseases and proposes strategies to mitigate their prevalence.
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Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent the highest burden of disease globally. Medicines are a critical intervention used to prevent and treat CVD
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. This review describes access to medication for CVD from a health system perspective and strategies that have been used to promote access, including providing medicines at lower cost, improving medication supply, ensuring medicine quality, promoting appropriate use, and managing intellectual property issues. Using key evidence in published and gray literature and systematic reviews, we summarize advances in access to cardiovascular medicines using the 5 health system dimensions of access: availability, affordability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of medicines. There are multiple barriers to access of CVD medicines, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Low availability of CVD medicines has been reported in public and private healthcare facilities. When patients lack insurance and pay out of pocket to purchase medicines, medicines can be unaffordable. Accessibility and acceptability are low for medicines used in secondary prevention; increasing use is positively related to country income. Fixed-dose combinations have shown a positive effect on adherence and intermediate outcome measures such as blood pressure and cholesterol. We have a new opportunity to improve access to CVD medicines by using strategies such as efficient procurement of low-cost, quality-assured generic medicines, development of fixed-dose combination medicines, and promotion of adherence through insurance schemes that waive copayment for long-term medications. Monitoring progress at all levels, institutional, regional, national, and international, is vital to identifying gaps in access and implementing adequate policies.
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The World Health Organization's fact sheet on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) highlights that NCDs, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory
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diseases, and diabetes, are responsible for 74% of all global deaths, totaling 41 million annually. Notably, 86% of premature NCD deaths (before age 70) occur in low- and middle-income countries. Key risk factors include tobacco use, physical inactivity, harmful alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets, and air pollution. The WHO emphasizes the importance of preventive measures, early detection, and comprehensive healthcare strategies to address the growing NCD burden.
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The webpage from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) provides an analysis of air pollution as a significant global health risk. It details how air pollution contributes to severe health problems, including respiratory
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diseases and increased mortality rates. The site explains different types of air pollution, such as ambient particulate matter and household air pollution, and their respective impacts on health. It emphasizes the global burden of disease caused by pollution, underscoring the importance of reducing exposure through policy and public health interventions to improve overall health outcomes.
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The Noncommunicable Diseases Country Profiles 2018 by the World Health Organization (WHO) provides an in-depth look at the burden of noncommunicabl
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e diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes across WHO Member States. It includes data on NCD mortality, risk factors like tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol consumption, as well as country-specific responses and health system capacities to manage and prevent NCDs.
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The article discusses the education strategy of the International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) for 2014–2020, focusing on building capacity to improve respiratory care globally. It highlights the significant
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burden of respiratory diseases and the role of primary care in addressing this issue. The IPCRG aims to enhance educational efforts, support healthcare professionals, and foster knowledge-sharing among its member countries. The strategy includes developing teaching programs, promoting leadership, and using innovative educational methods, such as distance learning and "teach the teacher" programs. The overall goal is to improve clinical practice and outcomes in managing respiratory conditions through targeted education and collaboration.
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The WHO document, "High-level technical meeting on noncommunicable diseases and mental health in small island developing states: summary brief," outlines the outcomes of a January 2023 meeting in Ba
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rbados, focusing on NCDs and mental health challenges in small island developing states (SIDS). Key topics included the need for sustainable financing, addressing the impact of climate change, improving emergency preparedness, strengthening multisectoral collaboration, and managing commercial determinants of health. The document emphasizes building political support and international cooperation to reduce the NCD and mental health burden in SIDS, with recommendations for policy coherence and increased support for these vulnerable regions.
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Hypertension is the leading preventable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and disability globally. In low- and middle-income countries hypertension has a major social impact, increasing the disease b
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urden and costs for national health systems. The present call to action aims to stimulate all African countries to adopt several solutions to achieve better hypertension management. The following 3 goals should be achieved in Africa by 2030: (1) 80% of adults with high blood pressure in Africa are diagnosed; (2) 80% of diagnosed hypertensives, that is, 64% of all hypertensives, are treated; and (3) 80% of treated hypertensive patients are controlled. To achieve these aims, we call on individuals and organizations from government, private sector, health care, and civil society in Africa and indeed on all Africans to undertake a few specific high priority actions. The aim is to improve the detection, diagnosis, management, and control of hypertension, now considered to be the leading preventable killer in Africa.
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Immunizations are an essential health service that protect susceptible individuals from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD).2 By providing timely immunizations, individuals and communities remain protected and the likelihood
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of a VPD outbreak decreases, Preventing a VPD outbreak not only saves lives but requires fewer resources than responding to the outbreak and helps reduce burden on a health system already strained by the COVID-19 pandemic, While committing to sustaining immunization systems, countries should use approaches that respect the principle of do-no-harm and limit transmission of COVID-19 while providing immunization activities, Immunization visits can also be used as opportunities to disseminate messages to encourage behaviours to reduce transmission risk of the COVID-19 virus, to identify signs and symptoms of COVID-19 disease, and to provide guidance on what to do if symptoms emerge
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Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) continue to cause hardship and harm to over one billion people worldwide, burdening individuals, families and communities who are already marginalized and disadvantaged. Taking a One Health approach that recognizes
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the relationship between human, animal, and environmental health is key to sustainably addressing NTDs. This course provides practical ideas, tools, and examples to enable each of us to take One Health action towards the global goal of substantially reducing the burden of NTDs by 2030.
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