NCDs kill over 17 million people annually – WHO

A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that Non-Communicable Diseases-NCDs like cancer, diabetes, heart and lung diseases cause 17 million premature deaths worldwide every year.

According to the report released on Wednesday, September 21 titled, “Invisible Numbers: The true scale of Non-communicable diseases”, every year, every two seconds, someone under 70 somewhere in the world dies of an NCD, 86% of whom live in low- and middle-income countries.

The report further shows that the COVID-19 pandemic worsened the NCD burden by delaying and disrupting care. According to the report, in the early months of the pandemic, 75 % of countries reported disruption to essential NCD services because of lockdown restrictions and channeling of resources.

The report was launched at the first annual gathering of heads of state and government groups for the prevention of NCDs held during the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA),

The WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom tasked global leaders who have committed to reducing premature death from NCDs by one-third by 2030 to take action.

Written by Ritah Kemigisa