NCD Alliance

As part of the NCD Alliance Program ‘Strengthening Health Systems, Supporting NCD Action’, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) in partnership with PAHO/WHO and CARPHA held a Caribbean Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) meeting in Dominica on 22 October. 

The goal of the meeting was to encourage a greater understanding of what HSS means in the Caribbean and provide a platform for evidence-informed CSO-led NCD advocacy within the context of HSS.

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Healthy Means is an online conversation advancing the discussion around future challenges and opportunities in global health. From breakthroughs in preventing chronic and non-communicable diseases to disruptive innovations changing the landscape of technology, access, delivery, and more, Healthy Means looks to the next stage of progress as the post-2015 agenda nears.

During the next four weeks, the campaign will examine ways access, living longer, new ideas, and working together are all integral to achieving outcomes for a more healthful world.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world’s deadliest communicable diseases. In 2013, an estimated 9.0 million people developed TB and 1.5 million died from the disease, 360 000 of whom were HIV-positive.

This is the nineteenth global report on TB published by WHO in a series that started in 1997. It provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic and progress in implementing and financing TB prevention, care and control at global, regional and country levels using data reported by over 200 countries that account for over 99% of the world's TB cases.

The WHO EMRO Regional Committee Meeting concluded on 21 October in Tunis, Tunisia. In his opening address, Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, focussed attention on links between climate change and NCDs, with rising levels of air pollution and environmental neglect across the Region contributing to increased risk of NCDs.

As part of the NCD Alliance Program ‘Strengthening Health Systems, Supporting NCD Action’, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) in partnership with PAHO/WHO and CARPHA is holding today a Caribbean Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) meeting in Dominica.

The NCD Alliance has joined with WHO and ITU, the UN information and communication technologies (ICTs) health agency​, in a ground breaking new partnership to focus on the use of mobile technology to improve NCDs prevention and treatment.

Monday 20 October is World Osteoporosis Day, with a focus this year on osteoporosis in men. Although one in five men aged 50 and over will suffer a fracture due to osteoporosis, the debilitating disease is all-too-often neglected both by the men at risk, and by health professionals.

The burden of the disease is high in the world’s ageing male population: One-third of all hip fractures worldwide occur in men, and compared to women they are twice as likely to die in the year following the fracture.

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a US$100 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to improve maternal, newborn and child health in Myanmar.

The Essential Health Services Access Project is expected to benefit about 4 million pregnant women and young children across all of Myanmar’s 330 townships. The Project aims to increase coverage of critical health services that provide quality care, with a focus on the health of mothers, infants and children.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will play an important part of the programme of the upcoming 2014 World Cancer Congress, with a suite of plenaries, sessions and side events that are of relevance to the wider NCD community beyond cancer.

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Tobacco use is one of the major risk factors driving the global epidemic of noncommunicable diseases. NCD s are a major challenge to health and development in the 21st  century. They are the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, exacting a heavy and growing toll on the physical health and economic security of all countries, particularly low and middle-income countries (LMICs).