New York (dpa) - The deaths of some 36 million people from
diseases such as cancer, diabetes and respiratory illnesses could be
prevented, the United Nations heard Monday.
Opening its first conference on so-called non-communicable
diseases, the General Assembly was told by Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon that treatment was affordable by the public sector, and
involved scaling up nutritional advice and simple measures such
cycling to work instead of driving.
80 per cent of those deaths are in developing countries.
"The prognosis is grim," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said,
citing the World Health Organization, which projected deaths from
non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to increase by 17 per cent in the
next decade. But in Africa, that number will jump by 24 per cent.
"These statistics are alarming - but we know how to drive them
down," he said. Ban said treatment can be afforded by all sectors and
prevention cost very little, including physical exercise, use of
bicycle rather than a car, and in particular good nutrition from
infancy to adulthood to fight the NCDs.
Ban was to join US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and
other high-ranking government officials to discuss nutrition,
focusing in particular on nutrition for school children.
He said government health ministers need to work with individuals,
civic groups and businesses to fight NCDs.
Micheline Calmy-Rey, president of the Swiss Confederation, whose
country hosts the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, said her
country plans to step up efforts to fight NCDs without taking
resources away from health plans against communicable diseases.
"Let us devise innovative solutions that make use of the potential
synergies between governmental actors, civil society, the private
sector, Research & Development and the international organizations,"
she said.
Copyright 2011 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH