Health experts in Africa worry that NCDs continue to terrorize the developing countries. The global platform organized by AllAfrica Media to provide information on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has begun in Montevideo at the World Health Organization’s Global Conference on Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), hosted by the government of Uruguay.
Research shows that NCDs pose the greatest challenge in public health today, accounting for over 70% of deaths worldwide. Communities around the world are mobilizing to fight back against cardio vascular diseases, cancer, type-two diabetes, obesity and mental health – to stop the massive burden caused by these life-threatening illnesses.
In some African countries, NCDs are responsible for more than seven out of every ten fatalities, and in most countries, the proportion of deaths due to NCDs is rising. Principal causes include unhealthy diets, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, lack of physical activity, pollution and chemical products. Those affected are children, middle-aged people and elderly – both rich and poor.
Attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), spearheaded by the United Nations and adopted in September 2015 by world leaders, aim “to transform the world” by 2030, through improving lives and protecting the planet. Achieving them will require putting the fight against NCDs at the center of public health policies, particularly in Africa, with its youthful and fast-rising population.
Governments alone cannot win the fight. Participation by the private sector, including media, is essential to the campaign against NCDs.
The new NCD platform – in English and French – aims to be a primary source for both news and contextual information. Surveys show that reliable, health-related data and developments is at the top of what the public wants from news sources.
“AllAfrica has always been there when it matters the most for Africans”, said Amadou Mahtar Ba, AllAfrica’s co-founder and Executive Chair. “Information is power, and that is particularly true when it comes to combatting diseases”. Surveys show that reliable, health-related data and developments are at the top of what people want to learn from news sources.
“That is why AllAfrica is committing resources to create this public information tool to provide policy makers and citizens at large the news and information needed to win the fight against NCDs. We invite the WHO, research institutions, foundations, civil society groups and the private sector to engage with us to disseminate as much information as possible on this topic”, Ba said.
