What are non-communicable diseases?
- A noncommunicable disease is a noninfectious health condition that cannot be spread from person to person and caused by a combination of genetic, physiological, lifestyle, and environmental factors insult for long period of time to develop an irreversible change to the body of the individuals lead to a chronic disease.
- People of all age groups, regions and countries are affected by NCDs. Children, adults and the elderly are all vulnerable to the risk factors contributing to NCDs, whether from unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, exposure to tobacco smoke or the harmful use of alcohol.
- These conditions are often associated with older age groups, but evidence shows that 15 million of all deaths attributed to NCDs occur between the ages of 30 and 69 years.
- Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) kill 41 million people each year, equivalent to 71% of all deaths globally.
- Each year, 15 million people die from a NCD between the ages of 30 and 69 years; over 85% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
- Detection, screening and treatment of NCDs are the key components of the response to NCDs