Prevention ‒ a cost-effective way to fight the non-communicable disease epidemic

The United Nations General Assembly has convened a Summit on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), an historic moment in the global combat of these disorders. Lifestyles in increasingly urban and globalised environments have led to a steep surge in NCD incidence in low and middle income countries,...

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Main Authors: N Probst-Hensch, M Tanner, C Burri
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SMW supporting association (Trägerverein Swiss Medical Weekly SMW) 2011-08-01
Series:Swiss Medical Weekly
Online Access:https://www.smw.ch/index.php/smw/article/view/1338
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author N Probst-Hensch
M Tanner
C Burri
author_facet N Probst-Hensch
M Tanner
C Burri
author_sort N Probst-Hensch
collection DOAJ
description The United Nations General Assembly has convened a Summit on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), an historic moment in the global combat of these disorders. Lifestyles in increasingly urban and globalised environments have led to a steep surge in NCD incidence in low and middle income countries, where two thirds of all NCD deaths occur (most importantly from cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease as well as diabetes). Treatment of NCDs is usually long term and expensive, thus threatening patients’ and nations’ budgets and putting them at high risk for poverty. The NCD Summit offers an opportunity for strengthening and shaping primary prevention, the most cost-effective instrument to fight major risk factors such as tobacco smoking, alcohol abuse, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet. From a Swiss perspective, we also emphasised the efforts for new laws on prevention and diagnosis registration, in accordance with the recommendations of the NCD summit in order to strengthen primary prevention and disease monitoring. In addition, the need for structural prevention across all policy sectors with leadership in environmental policy making to prevent NCDs as well as the need to adapt and strengthen primary health care are equally relevant for Switzerland. To compliment efforts in primary prevention, the field of NCDs requires special R&D platforms for affordable NCD drugs and diagnostics for neglected population segments in both Switzerland and low and middle income countries. Switzerland has a track record in research and development against diseases of poverty on a global scale that now needs to be applied to NCDs.
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spelling doaj.art-0021f85b114e468caf1600e12afa0eed2022-12-22T03:55:44ZengSMW supporting association (Trägerverein Swiss Medical Weekly SMW)Swiss Medical Weekly1424-39972011-08-01141353610.4414/smw.2011.13266Prevention ‒ a cost-effective way to fight the non-communicable disease epidemicN Probst-HenschM TannerC Burri The United Nations General Assembly has convened a Summit on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), an historic moment in the global combat of these disorders. Lifestyles in increasingly urban and globalised environments have led to a steep surge in NCD incidence in low and middle income countries, where two thirds of all NCD deaths occur (most importantly from cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease as well as diabetes). Treatment of NCDs is usually long term and expensive, thus threatening patients’ and nations’ budgets and putting them at high risk for poverty. The NCD Summit offers an opportunity for strengthening and shaping primary prevention, the most cost-effective instrument to fight major risk factors such as tobacco smoking, alcohol abuse, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet. From a Swiss perspective, we also emphasised the efforts for new laws on prevention and diagnosis registration, in accordance with the recommendations of the NCD summit in order to strengthen primary prevention and disease monitoring. In addition, the need for structural prevention across all policy sectors with leadership in environmental policy making to prevent NCDs as well as the need to adapt and strengthen primary health care are equally relevant for Switzerland. To compliment efforts in primary prevention, the field of NCDs requires special R&D platforms for affordable NCD drugs and diagnostics for neglected population segments in both Switzerland and low and middle income countries. Switzerland has a track record in research and development against diseases of poverty on a global scale that now needs to be applied to NCDs. https://www.smw.ch/index.php/smw/article/view/1338
spellingShingle N Probst-Hensch
M Tanner
C Burri
Prevention ‒ a cost-effective way to fight the non-communicable disease epidemic
Swiss Medical Weekly
title Prevention ‒ a cost-effective way to fight the non-communicable disease epidemic
title_full Prevention ‒ a cost-effective way to fight the non-communicable disease epidemic
title_fullStr Prevention ‒ a cost-effective way to fight the non-communicable disease epidemic
title_full_unstemmed Prevention ‒ a cost-effective way to fight the non-communicable disease epidemic
title_short Prevention ‒ a cost-effective way to fight the non-communicable disease epidemic
title_sort prevention a cost effective way to fight the non communicable disease epidemic
url https://www.smw.ch/index.php/smw/article/view/1338
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