Addressing the global challenge of chronic disease

The first Global Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-Communicable Diseases Control (April 28-29), hosted by the World Health Organization and the Russian Federation, closed today in Moscow.

The goals of this conference – part of the build-up to the 19- 20 September 2011 United Nations General Assembly High-level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of NCDs – were to highlight the magnitude and socio-economic impact of NCDs: to review international experience in NCD prevention and control; and provide evidence on the pressing need to strengthen global and national initiatives to prevent NCDs.

As part of this effort, the World Health Organization released their first WHO Global Status Report on chronic diseases, providing updated information on the prevalence and impact of these diseases around the world.  This report was released on April 27th, as part of a WHO global forum: addressing the challenge of non-communicable disease.

Recent WHO estimates predict that by 2030, NCD-related deaths in Africa, the Middle East, and South East Asia will grow by over 50%. Globally diabetes deaths will increase by two-thirds. More than 8 million of premature deaths are in developing countries, which are very vulnerable to NCDs.

Both of these events were attended by governments and health experts from around the world to help address the global health challenges posed by NCDs.

Webcasts from the global forum and ministerial conference can be viewed online.

For those on twitter, highlights of the conversation can be tracked by searching #NCDsMoscow, #NCDs or #noncommunicable.

World Malaria Day 2011

Today (April 25) is World Malaria Day — a day to commemorate global efforts to control malaria.  According to the World Health Organization, “the key is to maintain the financial and political commitments to fighting malaria over the next 5 years so that we can reach these ambitious RBM targets and the health-related Millennium Development Goals.”

WHO reports that over 780,000 people died of malaria in 2009, most of them children under the age of five. The disease perpetuates a vicious cycle of poverty in the developing world and malaria-related illnesses and mortality cost Africa’s economy alone approximately USD 12 billion per year.

Key Facts About Malaria (Source:  WHO)

• Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
• Malaria is preventable and curable.
• In 2008, malaria caused nearly one million deaths, mostly among African children.
• Malaria can decrease gross domestic product by as much as 1.3% in countries with high disease rates.
• Non-immune travelers from malaria-free areas are very vulnerable to the disease when they get infected.

Image Source:  Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

WIPO marks 2 millionth international patent filing

The World Intellectual Property Organization recently marked the filing of the two-millionth international patent application under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

The PCT makes it easier for companies and inventors to seek patent rights in multiple countries as a single application under the PCT has legal effect in all 142 countries bound by the treaty.  The PCT system consolidates and streamlines patenting procedures, postponing the payment of sizeable costs and providing applicants with a sound basis for important decision-making.

The value of the PCT system also lies in its capacity as a global repository of technological information. Under the PCT approximately 160,000 international patent applications are filed every year.

World Health Day 2011 – WHO urges action to combat drug resistance

On World Health Day 2011, the World Health Organization is calling for urgent and concerted action to slow down the spread of drug resistance, limit its impact today and preserve medical advances for future generations.

Drug resistance is becoming more widespread and many infections are no longer easily cured, leading to prolonged and expensive treatment and greater risk of death.  Last year, at least 440 000 new cases of multidrug resistant-tuberculosis were detected and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis has been reported in 69 countries to date.

The WHO press release states that “Governments and partners need to work closely with industry to encourage greater investment in research and development of new diagnostics that can help improve decision making as well as drugs to replace those that are being lost to resistance. Today, less than five per cent of products in the research and development pipeline are antibiotic drugs. Innovative incentive schemes are needed to stimulate industry to research and develop new antimicrobial drugs for the future.”

Drug resistance is a major concern to global public health.  The WHO’s World Health Day toolkit highlights a few key issues:

• Drug resistance increases the costs of health care
• Drug resistance jeopardizes health-care gains to society
• Drug resistance compromises health security, and damages trade and economies
• Drug resistance challenges control of infectious diseases
• Drug resistance threatens a return to the pre-antibiotic era
• Drug resistance kills

Read more about World Health Day 2011.