WHO says hypertension, diabetes cases soaring worldwide
--As Health Assembly meets
Ahead of the 65th session of the World Health Assembly on Monday, a new data released by the WHO highlight incidence of hypertension and diabetes around the world, with one in 10 adults being diagnosed with the noncommunicable diseases.
The World health statistics for 2012 released this week, underscored “the growing problem of the noncommunicable diseases burden.”
Hypertension raises blood pressure and the data show that it causes almost half of all deaths from stroke and heart disease.
“This report is further evidence of the dramatic increase in the conditions that trigger heart disease and other chronic illnesses, particularly in low- and middle-income countries,” says Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO.
“In some African countries, as much as half the adult population has high blood pressure,” said Chan.
A WHO press release said the 21–26 May 2012 World Health Assembly session in Geneva will discuss a number of public health issues such as universal health coverage, Millennium Development Goals, noncommunicable diseases, mental disorders, nutrition and adolescent pregnancy.
Current WHO boss Chan is expected to be nominated for a second term subject to the approval of the Health Assembly.
The release also said the Assembly would discuss the WHO programme budget, administration and management matters of the UN health agency. But the amount of the budget was not disclosed.
But the 2008-2009 budget approved by the Assembly was US$4.2 billion, representing an increase of nearly $1 billion from the $3.3 billion approved for 2006-2007.
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