Symposium der schweizerischen Gesundheitszusammenarbeit vom 10. November 2009 in Basel: "Chronische Krankheiten in Entwicklungs- und Schwellenländern - Globale Gesundheit vor neuer Herausforderung".
Fotograf: Christoph Engeli
"Working closely with Member States,WHO has, therefore, developed this Action Plan to prevent NCDs from occurring and to help the millions who are already affected to cope with these lifelong illnesses. The Action Plan provides Member States,WHO, and the international community with a roadmap to establish and strengthen initiatives for the surveillance, prevention and management of NCDs. Furthermore, the Plan highlights the pressing need to invest in NCD prevention as an integral part of sustainable socioeconomic development."
Report of the Oxford Health Alliance 2006: "This major report, 'Chronic disease: an economic perspective', written by Marc Suhrcke, Rachel A. Nugent, David Stuckler and Lorenzo Rocco for OxHA, demonstrates that chronic diseases – heart and lung disease, cancer and diabetes – are having a negative economic impact on both the developed and developing world and should thus be adequately addressed by domestic and international policy makers."
"There is growing recognition of the emergence of a “double burden” of malnutrition with under- and overnutrition occurring simultaneously among different population groups in developing countries. This phenomenon is not limited to upper-income developing countries, but is occurring across the globe in countries with very different cultures and dietary customs. There is accumulating evidence that when economic conditions improve, obesity and dietrelated non-communicable diseases may escalate in countries with high levels of undernutrition. There is also evidence to indicate that undernutrition in utero and early childhood may predispose individuals to greater susceptibility to some chronic diseases." Edited by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 2006.
"Central America has undergone extensive trade liberalization over the past two decades, and has recently signed a Free Trade Agreement with the United States. The region is also experiencing a dual burden of malnutrition with the growth of dietary patterns associated with the global 'nutrition transition'. This study describes the relationship between trade liberalization policies and food imports and availability, and draws implications for diet and health, using Central America as a case study region."
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the UnitedHealth Chronic Disease Initiative are working together to establish a network of 11 Collaborating Centers of Excellence in low- and middle-income countries to build sustainable programs to combat chronic cardiovascular and lung diseases. Research and outreach activities are being conducted in 21 developing countries. In addition, each developing country is paired with at least one partner academic institution in a developed country to enhance research and training opportunities.
Major national research funding agencies from around the world will convene to announce the formation of a new global health initiative called the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD). The launch of the GACD will occur on June 15, 2009, in Seattle, Washington and will coincide with the meeting there of Heads of International Research Organizations. The alliance seeks to coordinate research activities that address on a global scale the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. The alliance members will collectively seek to identify common approaches to develop the evidence base needed to guide policy, develop and share best practices for fighting chronic diseases, and foster a sustainable and significant reduction of illness, disability, and death around the world.
Chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) are reaching epidemic proportions worldwide. These diseases — which include cardiovascular conditions (mainly heart disease and stroke), some cancers, chronic respiratory conditions and type 2 diabetes — affect people of all ages, nationalities and classes. The conditions cause the greatest global share of death and disability, accounting for around 60% of all deaths worldwide. Some 80% of chronic-disease deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. They account for 44% of premature deaths worldwide.
The latest edition of the Global Health Council's "Global Health Magazine" focuses on chronic diseases in developing countries. "While HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis have taken center stage, chronic diseases such as mental illness, cardiovascular disease and cancers have been sidelined. Yet according to the World Health Organization, developing countries shoulder more than 60 percent of the global burden of coronary heart disease" (Fall, 2009).
Auch in Entwicklungs- und Schwellenländern haben sich die chronischen Krankheiten zur häufigsten Todesursache entwickelt. Dahinter stehen soziale, politische und ökonomische Ursachen. Die internationale Gesundheitspolitik steht vor einer grossen Herausforderung.
Medicus Mundi Schweiz hat im November 2007 das MMS Bulletin dem Thema Chronische Krankheiten gewidmet. Mit Beiträgen zu Hintergründen, Präventionskampagnen und Projekten der internationalen Gesundheitszusammenarbeit. Lesen Sie die Beiträge online: