Working with the World Health Organization, WHO, the UN General Assembly stated their goal to create a commitment in the fight against noncommunicable diseases. Such diseases are non-infectious and are long lasting. A top priority for the organizations to combat are diabetes, heart disease, strokes, and caner, all leading causes of death among people internationally. Besides the genetics aspect of these diseases, there are determinants that individuals make to potentially heighten the risk of acquiring such an illness. Smoking, nutrient lacking diets, and lack of exercise are all contributors to the communicable diseases that are taking the lives of people worldwide. The World Health Organization and UN General Assembly plan to provide regions of the world in need with education on promoting a healthy lifestyle and precautions to take to ensure these fatal diseases do not impact their lives. In addition to the educational programs, the two organizations plan to provide regions heavily affected with disease with proper agricultural products as well as access to the necessary medicines to help fight the illnesses. A major obstacle people face throughout the world is obtaining access to vital drugs and treatments. Through these programs, those affected by the noncommunicable diseases are able to gain the aid they need to promote a healthy life. By recognizing the importance of defeating these fatal diseases, millions of live can potentially be saved worldwide. Acknowledging the seriousness of these international issues is the first step in developing a plan to reduce its impact on the victims and families.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2011/noncommunicable_diseases_20110919/en/index.html
The WHO and UN are definitely taking large steps to combat these deadly noncommunicable diseases. It is important to recognize that genetic dispositions are rarely the cause of the majority of noncommunicable disease cases. This just emphasizes the importance of making the public recognize that lifestyle changes are a vital step in prevention. Having more accessible agricultural products and treatment options add to completing the full picture of defeating noncommunicable diseases.
ReplyDeleteWhile this does seem like a huge step forward for international health. It seems like nothing has changed. There have always been projects/seminars/educational programs to tell people not to smoke, tell them to exercise, or just tell them how to be healthy. The same goes for providing "access to medication", I mean, just because the medicine is there, doesn't mean a person can afford it.
ReplyDeleteIt was a big step WHO and the UN General Assembly create a commitment in the fight against the noncommunicable diseases. I agree with Jeffery that the reality always lagged far behind those optimistic goals. It seems nothing has much changed. There are a lot of message tell people that smoking is bad for health and eat healthy stay healthy. It doesn’t seem as easy as it is for people to quit smoking in one day. It needs time. On the other hand, eat healthy was a big issue that we need to concern it. Not all the people can afford the price of eating healthy. Most developing countries are poor and don’t have access on foods.
ReplyDelete