NCD Alliance

By 2040, a quarter of over 65 year olds in the United Kingdom could be diagnosed with cancer.

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A new Lancet series released this month highlights a group of articles on the topic of hypertension. This series reviews articles regarding treatment for hypertension, hypertension and diabetes, and hypertension in low and middle income countries.

It showcases the increased prevalence of hypertension in low and middle income countries due to social determinant factors such as high illiteracy rates, poor access to health facilities, bad dietary habits, poverty, and lack of access to essential medicines.

The Lancet published the largest survey of tobacco use worldwide, 'Tobacco use in 3 billion individuals from 16 countries: an analysis of nationally representative cross-sectional household surveys.'

It showcases the global tobacco epidemic specifically in low and middle income countries where the tobacco industry have directed most of their efforts. The survey has shown how the burden of tobacco use is growing rapidly and that countries must act now to address the oncoming crisis with  effectiveve tobacco control meaures.

The WHO has posted both the discussion paper on the development of its NCD Action Plan 2013-2020 and the third discussion paper on the Global Monitoring Framework (GMF).

From the FCA website:

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is poised to support a strengthened inter-agency approach to implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), says Doug Webb of the UNDP’s Bureau for Development Policy.

Advances in HIV care and treatment that keep people alive while controlling, although not curing, their conditions have led to growing numbers of people surviving with chronic illnesses including HIV infection.

BBC News

A lack of exercise is now causing as many deaths as smoking across the world, a study suggests.

The report, published in the Lancet to coincide with the build-up to the Olympics, estimates that about a third of adults are not doing enough physical activity, causing 5.3m deaths a year.

That equates to about one in 10 deaths from diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and breast and colon cancer.

Researchers said the problem was now so bad it should be treated as a pandemic.

New York- In a demonstration of commitment to addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at the highest political level, UNICEF and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), with NCD Child, held a Ministerial Roundtable on the occasion of this year’s Economic and Social Council Annual Ministerial Review. The breakfast, ‘Working Well!

The UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 Development Agenda released their report to the Secretary General yesterday, outlining the priority areas for the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Citing the need for a "new, more holistic" approach to development, the full report incorporates strong language on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the ways the post-2015 could address them.

The PLoS Medicine series on Big Food aims to examine and stimulate debate about the activities and influence of the food industry in global health. We define “Big Food” as the multinational food and beverage industry with huge and concentrated market power. The series adopts a multi-disciplinary approach and includes critical perspectives from around the world. It represents one of first times such issues have been examined in the general medical literature.