Category: Non-communicable diseases
World health statistics 2012
The World health statistics 2012 report puts the spotlight on the growing problem of the noncommunicable diseases burden.
Department of Health National NCD Summit 12-13 September 2011
The meeting provided participants an opportunity to collectively agree on strategies and targets to be reached in South Africa to improve the situation regarding non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Gauteng Department of Health NCD Summit 5 July 2011
The Gauteng Department of Health and Social Development hosted a high-level summit on NCDs aimed at developing a position paper detailing a NCD agenda for the Province.
WHO NCDs country profiles 2011
This report provides information required by countries – including South Africa – to assess their situation in face of the growing threat posed by non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Non-communicable Diseases: reframing the conversation on health
The UN general assembly summit in September helped focus the world on the threat posed to economic development by four conditions – cancer, heart disease, diabetes and chronic lung disease. This is surprisingly true even in a middle income country like South Africa (SA). The economic impact of chronic conditions on the workforce and their productivity, and the cost to the health system is already enormous and without serious attention is set to balloon. The advent of significant resources to address this burgeoning epidemic seems unlikely. In an era when donor funding is shrinking, the envelope for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) could even decline as the SA government assumes greater fiscal responsibility for HIV/TB. This article discusses the burden of disease and disability in SA, the risk factors for NCDs in the country, possible interventions and the affordability.
New regulations on cancer notification in South Africa
In April 2011, new regulations for the registration of cancers were promulgated. These regulations make it compulsory for every health care worker who has diagnosed a new case of cancer to notify the case on the prescribed form. The regulations make provision for the establishment of a population-based cancer registry. This articles discusses the role of the National Cancer Registry, Health Care Workers and Public Health Practitioners in the registration of cancer cases and the subsequent management and analysis of the data.
Cardiovascular disease in South Africa
A recently published article discusses the burden of CVD in SA, current initiatives to address it and the costs of an inadequate policy response.
UN High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases: addressing four questions
To achieve the promise of the UN HLM on NCD several questions must be addressed. The report presents the realities of the situation by answering four questions.
Asthma and air pollution: The need for a broader public health response
In light of the growing global emphasis on management of the rising burden of non-communicable diseases, including asthma, public health professionals in South Africa should undertake action.
Reducing tobacco use priority to save millions from deadliest diseases
Reducing tobacco use should be the top priority trying to tackle the enormous and growing death toll from non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
