The document is a policy brief by the NCD Alliance for the 2023 United Nations High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC). It highlights the importance of integrating non-communicable diseases (NCDs) into UHC efforts, with the goal of ensuring equitable health access worldwide.
Healthy Settings, a key component of Malawi’s Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP) 2011–2016, is the World Health Organization’s (WHO) holistic community-led approach to achieving health improvement by addressing social determinants of health, an approach which is central to the current WHO fra...mework on integrated people-centred health services. Healthy Settings projects by their construct have many different components which vary from one group and community to another depending on their priorities: from housing, hospital improvements and waste management to “softer” interventions like leadership skills training and health promotion. It can be challenging to find relevant indicators to monitor and assess the impact of such a complex holistic project, this paper explores if social capital data can provide useful impact assessment indicators at the start of such a project.
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The webpage from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) features a podcast discussing chronic respiratory diseases and their global impact. It highlights the growing burden of diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma worldwide. The podcast provides ins...ights into the challenges faced in managing and preventing these diseases, emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis, public health strategies, and global data to inform healthcare policies. Experts discuss the role of environmental and lifestyle factors in disease prevalence and outline ways to mitigate these risks through improved healthcare and awareness.
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The article "The silent epidemic of COPD in Africa" discusses the under-recognized yet significant prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Africa. Despite being the third leading cause of death worldwide, COPD remains poorly studied and largely unknown in sub-Saharan Africa. Th...e article highlights risk factors such as tobacco smoking and biomass smoke exposure, which significantly affect both men and women. Biomass smoke, in particular, is linked to COPD in younger individuals and impacts women due to prolonged exposure during cooking. The piece calls for better awareness, training for healthcare providers, and proactive measures to address and manage COPD in the region.
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The article investigates the global burden and risk factors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It emphasizes that COPD is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with significant health and economic impacts. The study identifies smoking as the primary risk factor, but als...o highlights other contributors such as occupational exposure, air pollution, and respiratory infections. The authors discuss variations in COPD prevalence and mortality rates across different regions, influenced by socioeconomic and environmental factors. The article calls for comprehensive public health strategies to reduce exposure to risk factors and improve early diagnosis and management to curb the global impact of COPD.
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The GOLD website is dedicated to providing comprehensive information on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). It offers resources and guidelines for healthcare professionals and public health authorities to improve the diagnosis, management, and prevention of COPD worldwide. The site include...s the latest reports, strategies, and updates on COPD research, emphasizing evidence-based practices for better patient outcomes. GOLD also provides educational materials, workshops, and support for implementing COPD care programs, aiming to raise global awareness and promote effective treatments for COPD.
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The article discusses the success of the Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD) in Brazil. It details the initiatives launched to address chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) like asthma and COPD, emphasizing the development of national programs and collaborative efforts with the... World Health Organization (WHO). Key achievements include successful advocacy, education campaigns, and pilot projects for asthma control, which have led to improved access to treatment and better management of CRDs. Despite challenges such as limited government priority, GARD Brazil has made significant progress in awareness and care for respiratory conditions. The article highlights the need for continued support to sustain these efforts and develop a formal national action plan.
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The GOLD 2023 report provides a comprehensive update on the global strategy for diagnosing, managing, and preventing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It emphasizes that COPD is a leading cause of death worldwide, driven by risk factors such as tobacco smoking, air pollution, and genetic... predispositions. The report outlines key updates, including new diagnostic criteria, the introduction of terms like "Pre-COPD" and "PRISm" for early identification, and expanded sections on comorbidities, pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, and rehabilitation. It stresses the importance of personalized treatment plans, early diagnosis, and addressing risk factors to mitigate the disease's impact. The report is aimed at guiding healthcare providers to improve COPD outcomes and adapt treatment approaches based on the latest evidence.
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The Department of Nutrition, HIV and AIDS (DNHA) in Ministry of Health and Population is grateful to all stakeholders who contributed to the development of the Nutrition Education Communication Strategy II. The DNHA acknowledges the financial and technical support from the World Bank and USAID throu...gh the Nutrition, HIV and AIDS project and Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project (FANTA III)/FHI 360, respectively. The participation of several partners including Irish Aid, the European Union (EU), Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organisation (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Civil Society Organisation Nutrition Alliance (CSONA), Concern Worldwide and the Clinton Health Access Initiative(CHAI).
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In recent decades, India has witnessed a rapidly exploding epidemic of diabetes.
Indeed, India today has the second largest number of people with diabetes in the
world. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates that there are 72.9 million people with diabetes in India in 2017, which is... projected to rise to 134.3 million by the year 2045. The prevalence of diabetes in urban India, especially in large metropolitan cities has increased from 2% in the 1970s to over 20% at present and the rural areas are also fast catching up.
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an increasingly important cause of morbidity, disability, and mortality worldwide. We aimed to estimate global, regional, and national COPD prevalence and risk factors to guide policy and population interventions.
This Guidance was developed in response to the increase in HIV-related human rights crises and the shrinking civic space for rights-related responses to HIV in recent years across the world. This document builds upon existing guidance documents, offering updated guidance for country-based United Nat...ions staff (United Nations Country Teams) and partners to use their respective mandates to coordinate effective responses to human rights-related crises within the framework of the Resident Coordinator system, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, global HIV and human rights strategies and frameworks.
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In 2015, the United Nations set important targets to reduce premature
cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths by 33% by 2030. Africa disproportionately
bears the brunt of CVD burden and has one of the highest risks of dying
from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide. There is currently
an epide...miological transition on the continent, where NCDs is projected
to outpace communicable diseases within the current decade. Unchecked
increases in CVD risk factors have contributed to the growing burden of three
major CVDs—hypertension, cardiomyopathies, and atherosclerotic diseasesleading to devastating rates of stroke and heart failure. The highest age
standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to hypertensive heart
disease (HHD) were recorded in Africa. The contributory causes of heart failure
are changing—whilst HHD and cardiomyopathies still dominate, ischemic
heart disease is rapidly becoming a significant contributor, whilst rheumatic
heart disease (RHD) has shown a gradual decline. In a continent where health
systems are traditionally geared toward addressing communicable diseases,
several gaps exist to adequately meet the growing demand imposed by CVDs.
Among these, high-quality research to inform interventions, underfunded
health systems with high out-of-pocket costs, limited accessibility and
affordability of essential medicines, CVD preventive services, and skill
shortages. Overall, the African continent progress toward a third reduction
in premature mortality come 2030 is lagging behind. More can be done in
the arena of effective policy implementation for risk factor reduction and
CVD prevention, increasing health financing and focusing on strengthening
primary health care services for prevention and treatment of CVDs, whilst
ensuring availability and affordability of quality medicines. Further, investing
in systematic country data collection and research outputs will improve the accuracy of the burden of disease data and inform policy adoption on
interventions. This review summarizes the current CVD burden, important
gaps in cardiovascular medicine in Africa, and further highlights priority
areas where efforts could be intensified in the next decade with potential
to improve the current rate of progress toward achieving a 33% reduction
in CVD mortality.
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The evolving epidemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus has challenged health-care professionals. It stands among the leading causes of mortality in the present world. It warrants new and versatile approaches to improve mortality and the associated huge quality-adjusted life years lost to it once diagnose...d. A possible venue to lower the incidence is to assess the safety and efficacy of various diabetes prevention strategies. Diet and exercise have a well-developed role in the prevention of weight gain and, ultimately, diabetes mellitus type II in high-risk individuals. However, high-risk individuals can also benefit from adjunct pharmacotherapy. In light of this information, we decided to conduct a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. This article summarizes the evidence in the literature on the pharmacological prevention of diabetes in high-risk individuals.
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Several countries or regions within countries have an effective national asthma strategy resulting in a reduction of the large burden of asthma to individuals and society. There has been no systematic appraisal of the extent of national asthma strategies in the world.
The 2023 update of the Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention incorporates new scientific information about asthma based on a review of recent scientific literature by an international panel of experts on the GINA Science Committee. This comprehensive and practical resource about one o...f the most common chronic lung diseases worldwide contains extensive citations from the scientific literature and forms the basis for other GINA documents and programs.
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This American Thoracic Society Statement was prepared by a Committee of the Scientific Assembly on Environmental and Occupational Health at the request of the American Lung Association Occupational Health Expert Advisory Group to emphasize the continuing importance of silicosis as a major lung disea...se worldwide and the need for increasing efforts in prevention. Emphasis is placed on public health issues of silicosis rather than on important current research in pathologic mechanisms.
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Atherosclerotic lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) is increasingly recognized as an important cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality that affects more than 230 million people worldwide. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors, including advanced age, smoking, and diabetes, are ...strongly linked to an increase risk of PAD. Although PAD has been historically underappreciated compared to coronary artery disease and stroke, greater attention on PAD in recent years has led to important new epidemiologic insights in the areas of thrombosis, inflammation, dyslipidemia, and microvascular disease. In addition, the concept of polyvascular disease, or clinically-evident atherosclerosis in multiple arterial beds, is increasingly identified as a particularly malignant cardiovascular disease worthy of special clinical attention and further study. It is noteworthy that PAD may increase the risk of adverse outcomes in similar or even greater magnitude than coronary disease or stroke. In this review, we highlight important new advances in the epidemiology of PAD with a particular focus on polyvascular disease, emerging biomarkers, and differential risk pathways for PAD compared to other atherosclerotic diseases.
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of global deaths, with the majority occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The primary and secondary prevention of CVD is suboptimal throughout the world, but the evidence-practice gaps are much more pronounced in LMIC. Barriers at the... patient, health-care provider, and health system level prevent the implementation of optimal primary and secondary prevention. Identification of the particular barriers that exist in resource-constrained settings is necessary to inform effective strategies to reduce the identified evidence-practice gaps. Furthermore, targeting modifiable factors that contribute most significantly to the global burden of CVD, including tobacco use, hypertension, and secondary prevention for CVD will lead to the biggest gains in mortality reduction. We review a select number of novel, resource-efficient strategies to reduce premature mortality from CVD, including: (1) effective measures for tobacco control; (2) implementation of simplified screening and management algorithms for those with or at risk of CVD, (3) increasing the availability and affordability of simplified and cost-effective treatment regimens including combination CVD preventive drug therapy, and (4) simplified delivery of health care through task-sharing (non-physician health workers) and optimizing self-management (treatment supporters). Developing and deploying systems of care that address barriers related to the above, will lead to substantial reductions in CVD and related mortality.
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