United Nations set to tackle the spread of non-communicable diseases

The World Health Organization says it welcomes the adoption last week of the United Nations General Assembly resolution on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases - mainly cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes - which kill nearly 35 million people each year, including almost 9 million before the age of 60. The resolution seeks to halt the increasing trends in premature deaths from non-communicable diseases worldwide.

"There is a sense of urgency," says WHO Assistant Director-General Ala Alwan, noting that "it will help us increase action to address the leading cause of death in the world. Tackling these diseases constitutes one of the major challenges for sustainable development in the twenty-first century."

Access to essential medicines cited