With the launch of the
Lancet Taskforce on NCDs and Economics in April, Richard Horton and I wrote that 2018 must be the year for action against NCDs. And so it has been, both internationally and here at
The Lancet. Over the past year, we have been delighted to bring you the best scientific research and the strongest evidence to motivate global action to curb years lived with NCD-related disability and premature mortality.
A first step in defeating NCDs is quantifying the burden. The
2017 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study demonstrates the rising global burden of premature mortality and from ischaemic heart disease, diabetes, cancers, and other NCDs, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. The GBD Study papers highlight the increasing urgency for action against NCDs as they surpass infectious diseases as the leading cause of premature deaths. Indeed, GBD estimates that over half of all premature deaths could be avoided by controlling just four risk factors—high blood pressure, smoking, high blood glucose, and high body mass index.
The
Lancet NCD Countdown 2030 provides further granularity to the global NCD burden and expands analysis from the SDG target 3.4 to include all premature deaths under the age of 80 years and all NCDs, as well as showing that only a handful of countries are making sufficient progress to meeting target 3.4 by 2030. To ensure that the global targets are met, accountability must remain central to efforts to reduce the NCD burden. The
Lancet NCD Countdown will continue to report premature deaths annually, and in future iterations will provide in depth analysis of risk factor control, policy implementation, and fiscal solutions to tackling the burden.
Most importantly, global health communities must not and cannot operate in silos. The
International AIDS Society-Lancet Commission: advancing global health and strengthening the HIV response in the era of the Sustainable Development Goals emphasises that health services must be fully integrated and patient-centred to address both the communicable disease and NCD burdens, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. The update to the
Lancet Commission on Investing in Health also acknowledges the recent epidemiological shift toward NCDs. The Commissioners propose new global action initiatives to achieve a grand convergence of health for NCDs, in addition to tuberculosis, maternal and child health, and HIV/AIDs.
Furthermore, the enormous and deadly burden of NCDs needs to be addressed not only on a global scale, but national governments must take responsibility. The
Tsinghua-Lancet Commission on Healthy Cities in China reports worrying trends on increasing NCDs resulting from rapid urbanisation in Chinese mega cities. On a more positive note, the fifth report of the
Lancet Standing Commission on Liver Disease in the UK reflects on progress made since the publication of the initial Commission report in 2014, as well as highlighting commercial determinants of liver disease, such as the alcohol and food industries, as targets for future campaigns.
Thank you for following
In Focus: NCDs throughout 2018. This edition of the newsletter is the final, regular update on
Lancet NCD initiatives, but our work does not end here. As the NCD movement presses onward, so shall we. As the
Lancetfamily of journals continues to publish the best evidence to transform policy in this critical area, we will keep you updated of new initiatives. In the meantime, stay in touch with
The Lancet by following us on
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#LancetNCDs. You can also freely
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