Noncommunicable Diseases

Abstract

The United Nations has held only two meetings of heads of state on a health-related issue. The first, in 2001, was on human immunodeficiency virus infection and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The second, in September 2011, was on noncommunicable diseases. Although noncommunicable diseases were ignored during the framing of the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, their leading and growing contribution to preventable deaths and disability across the globe has compelled policymakers to pay attention and initiate action. The United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) have called for a 25% reduction by 2025 in mortality from noncommunicable diseases among persons between 30 and 70 years of age, in comparison with mortality in 2010, adopting the slogan “25 by 25.”^1,2 We review the burden of noncommunicable diseases and issues in prevention, detection, and treatment that must be addressed in order to meet this goal.