MJA
MJA

Time for global action on chronic disease

Australians for Global Action on NCDs*
Med J Aust 2011; 194 (4): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2011.tb03761.x
Published online: 21 February 2011

Australia should lead in the effort to reduce the huge burden of non-communicable diseases

When it comes to global health, the international aid effort is almost entirely focused on the immense burden that communicable diseases inflict on the world’s low- and middle-income nations. But the world is also facing what United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon describes as “a public health emergency in slow motion”.1 Across the globe, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) — principally heart disease, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease and chronic lung disorders — are imposing ever greater burdens on individuals, families, health systems and economies.

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