Noncommunicable Diseases

Cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic pulmonary disease, and diabetes are conditions that, to a large extent, do not result directly from infection. The toll from these noncommunicable diseases is the subject of this review in the Global Health series. The United Nations has held only two meetings of heads of state on a health-related issue. The first, in 2001, was on human immunodeficiency virus infection and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The second, in September 2011, was on noncommunicable diseases. Although noncommunicable diseases were ignored during the framing of the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, their leading and growing contribution to preventable deaths and disability across the globe has compelled policymakers to pay attention and initiate action. The United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) have called for a 25% reduction by 2025 in mortality from noncommunicable diseases among ...