Global Strategies for the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases and Non-Communicable Diseases

Nakatani, Hiroki

These increased resources have been preferentially allocated to MDG 4, 5, and 6. The outcome appears in a special article of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 4 which listed the 10 greatest public health achievements worldwide from 2001 to 2010, as shown in Table 2 . Specifically, AIDS-related mortality is down by 30% from its peak in 2005. Tuberculosis prevalence has fallen by 41%, and its mortality rate has fallen by 45% against the 1990 baseline. Malaria control is progressing. Four neglected tropical diseases-human African trypanosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, blinding trachoma, and leprosy-are on track to be eliminated as public health problems, and guinea worm disease is also progressing towards eradication. The reduction in child mortality has also been remarkable: compared to approximately 12 million child deaths in 1990, only 6 million children died last year. Eighty percent of African children receive the basic vaccine package of BCG, polio, and DPT. Tobacco is one of the most serious epidemics, and its control is critical to prevent lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Tobacco control is making progress through an international convention called the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Table 3 lists the strategies and plans for communicable diseases and non-communicable diseases (NCD) adopted by the World Health Assembly. There are plenty of items related to communicable diseases, but relatively few for NCD. Why? Despite the fact that NCD represent the greatest challenge to global health, WHO has adopted few strategies and plans. Let us discuss the reason.