UN adopts resolutions to reduce noncommunicable diseases

After a week of delegation and endorsements from WHO member states, the 65th World Health Assembly on May 26 adopted 21 resolutions and three decisions on several health issues, including noncommunicable diseases.

The landmark rulings are expected to reduce deaths caused by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases by 25% by 2025.

“In the run-up to the UN Summit on NCDs, we urged Member States to include meaningful targets to prevent and control NCDs. We particularly called for the adoption of an overarching goal to reduce preventable deaths from NCDs by 25% by 2025,” Ann Keeling, chair of the NCD Alliance and CEO of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), said in a press release. “Member States deferred decisions about targets to 2012. Eight months on from the UN Summit, there can be no excuse for the world’s Health Ministers not to adopt at least this global goal, and supporting targets.”

According to WHO, delegates approved the development of a global monitoring framework to prevent and control NCDs. This includes indicators and a list of five global targets:

Mortality from NCDs: 25% relative reduction in overall mortality from CVD, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease in those aged 30 to 70 years.
Blood pressure/hypertension: 25% relative reduction in prevalence of raised BP among those aged 18 years and older (defined as systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP ≥90 mm Hg).
Tobacco smoking: 30% relative reduction in prevalence of current tobacco smoking among those aged 15 years and older.
Dietary salt intake: 30% relative reduction in mean adult (aged 18 years and older) population intake of salt, with aim of achieving recommended level of less than 5 g/day.
Physical inactivity: 10% relative reduction in prevalence of insufficient physical activity in adults aged 18 years and older.

Another resolution is focused on NCD policies to promote active aging, which encourages active lifestyles for older people in society to increase healthy aging.

The newly enacted measures will encourage national and global partnerships by involving additional sectors other than health to prevent premature deaths and to reduce exposure to risk factors for NCDs; particularly tobacco use, the harmful use of alcohol, an unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.

At the meeting, delegates received a report on the progress of the action plan for the prevention of “avoidable” blindness and visual impairment, a WHO news release said.

Among other issues, the member states also acknowledged a need to address mental health disorders, including efforts to reduce stigma and discrimination. The reintegration of patients into the workplace and society, besides support for care providers and families, and health budget investments were taken into consideration.

Besides the five targets above, the NCD Alliance advocated for another five targets:

Equitable and increased availability of affordable, quality-assured essential medicines and technologies for communicable and NCDs in all health care sectors.
Prevention of heart attack and stroke: 80% coverage of multidrug therapy (including glycemic control) for people aged 30 years and older with a 10-year risk for heart attack, stroke or diabetes of at least 30% or existing CVD.
Alcohol: 10% relative reduction in alcohol per capita consumption among those aged 15 years and older.
Trans fats: Removal of industrially produced trans fats from the food supply.
Obesity: No increase in obesity prevalence. Childhood obesity: Sustained downward trend in prevalence among children aged younger than 5 years and school-aged children to less than 5% of the population by 2025.

Johanna Ralston, CEO of the World Heart Federation, told Endocrine Today that the potential risk, if nothing is done to address NCDs, is clear.

“In addition to the increased human suffering due to the rising disease burden — CVD deaths are predicted to increase from the current figure of 17.3 million deaths per year to 23.6 million by 2030 — governments will also be subject to huge financial burdens,” Ralston said.

“Member states have to agree to additional targets by October 2012, and the World Heart Federation is calling for targets on: reducing the consumption of tobacco, salt/sodium, trans fats and harmful levels of alcohol; reducing physical inactivity, elevated blood pressure, cholesterol and obesity; and ensuring access to affordable, quality-assured essential medicines, including multidrug therapy for people who have been identified at high risk for CVD,” Ralston said.

She also told Endocrine Today that NCDs, including CVD, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes, account for 63% of global deaths and CVD is responsible for nearly half of them.

“The adoption of this bold and ambitious target is a landmark event in the fight against NCDs. For the first time, all governments will be accountable for progress on NCDs. The NCD Alliance and its members and partners around the world have worked tirelessly for nearly a year for this. On behalf of the hundreds of millions of people with NCDs, we are delighted to see this result,” Keeling said. – by Samantha Costa