Cancer organizations, diabetes and heart demand attention
While the world's health ministers discuss a possible flu A pandemic, which has caused 74 dead, outstanding health organizations today claimed that the epidemic of noncommunicable diseases is treated today, which causes 35 million deathsanus.
The International Diabetes Federation (FID), the International Cancer Union (IICC) and the World Federation of the Heart asked the international community "a substantial increase in financing and greater availability of the main medications" to treat these conditions.
"Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases cause more than 60 percent of all deaths that occur in the world," these organizations explained in a joint statement.
They remember that diabetes is a main cause of blindness, renal failure, heart attacks and amputations, and the number of affected has increased considerably, from 30 million people in 1985 to 150 million currently.
Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in the world, and it is estimated that 17.2 million people die each year for them, a figure that will be feared will increase to 20 million in 2015.
And cancer is the second cause of mortality on the planet, with more than 11 million cases diagnosed every year and about 8 million deaths.
The three organizations underline their concern about the impact that the economic crisis may have on the treatment of this epidemic, since "four out of five of these deaths occur in middle or low income countries."
In these countries, noncommunicable diseases "reduce the gross domestic product (GDP) by up to 5 percent," they point out.
In this sense, the president of the International Diabetes Federation, Pekka Puska, requested that "the financing models applied to infectious diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria extend to non -transmissible to stop deaths and avoid sinking moreIn poverty to the most vulnerable. "
"Now more than ever we need to join efforts to give cancer and other noncommunicable diseases the priority they deserve," said UICC president David Hill.
The three institutions represent 730 member organizations in 170 countries.
