LAUNCHING OUR NCD PROGRESS MONITOR 2022

This week, we publicly launched the latest edition of WHO’s NCD Progress Monitor, documenting the actions that WHO Member States are taking to set targets and develop policies and plans to prevent and control major noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors. 

We share the findings of this report below, noting one simple trend: simple and effective NCD interventions are not being adopted widely enough around the world.

Of 194 countries, the 2022 NCD Progress Monitor indicates that 126 have set time-bound national targets for NCDs based on WHO guidance. Encouragingly, 77 countries fully achieved more indicators in 2022, compared to the previous NCD Progress Monitor published in 2020. In all, well over half of countries (120) currently have an operational multisectoral national strategy or action plan for NCDs integrating the major diseases and their shared risk factors. 

An area of progress is in efforts to reduce tobacco use, with more than half of all countries now fully achieving the implementation of plain/standardized packaging and/or large graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging, one of the best-buy interventions (to effectively reduce tobacco use under the NCD Global Action Plan). There is also improvement in the development of clinical guidelines for NCD management, with most countries fully achieving this indicator for the first time.

However, fifty-four countries have lost ground. There have been major declines in physical activity awareness campaigns, and NCD surveillance. Similarly, variations by geography and income status persist. 

As two examples, no Member State in the WHO African Region has fully achieved the NCD surveillance indicator to deliver a STEPS survey or a comprehensive health examination survey every five years, while only one no low-income countries (of 27) has achieved a functioning system for generating reliable cause-specific NCD mortality data on a routine basis.

How is your country performing? Find out below.

NCDs AT WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY 75 (WHA75)

The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the decision-making body of WHO. It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. WHA’s main functions are to determine WHO’s policies, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget.

This year, WHA will focus on several pressing issues, including the proposed re-election of Dr Tedros, the need for sustainable financing of WHO, and strengthening WHO’s preparedness for, and response to health emergencies.

Reflecting the sheer impact of NCDs on the world's deaths, we have one of our busiest years ever.

Multiple items with the power to improve global NCD outcomes are being discussed at this year’s World Health Assembly, having previously been recommended for approval by WHO Member States at the 150th Executive Board in January 2022. These include work on:

• A draft implementation road map 2023–2030 for the global action plan for the prevention and control of non-communicable Diseases 2013–2030;
• Preparations for the fourth high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, in 2025;
• Recommendations on how to strengthen the design and implementation of policies, including those for resilient health systems and health services and infrastructure, to treat people living with NCDs and to prevent and control their risk factors in humanitarian emergencies;
• A draft global strategy on oral health;
• Draft action plan (2022–2030) to effectively implement the global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol as a public health priority;
• Draft recommendations for the prevention and management of obesity over the life course, including potential targets;
• Progress in the implementation of the global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem;
• Draft intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders 2022–2031;
• An acceleration plan to support member states in implementing the recommendations for the prevention and management of obesity over the life course;
• Draft workplan for the global coordination mechanism on the prevention and control of NCDs.

In line with WHO silence procedures, this will be the last NCD Newsflash until after WHA75 is concluded. You can find information about each of the items above, as well as the full agenda for WHA, at the link below.

On the morning of the World Health Assembly, WHO is organizing the 3rd edition in Geneva of the “Walk the Talk: Health For All Challenge” on Sunday 22 May. This in-person event will invite participants to run or walk over two routes: 3 km and 4.2 km. People of all ages and abilities will start at Place des Nations from 8.30am.

People around the world are invited to take part in the event by tracking their performances through a dedicated app. By registering, participants will receive a login to take part-in anywhere in the world. 

GLOBAL DIABETES COMPACT FORUM

The Global Diabetes Compact Forum was created by WHO to share ideas, information and views that help advocate for a world where the risk of diabetes is reduced and where all people who are diagnosed with diabetes have access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable, quality treatment and care. 

This week, we ran the second version of our Forum, bringing together stakeholders in the run up to WHA75. The Forum had a special focus on the need to integrate the diabetes and TB agendas, with speakers explaining the comorbidities between the two conditions, and opportunities to align country work and interventions. We were glad to be joined by more than 70 participants across the two days. 

This Global Diabetes Forum was particularly timely, with Member States preparing to discuss recommendations to strengthen diabetes responses within national NCD plans, including the consideration of global targets in this regard. 

IARC are a critical partner in the importance of accelerating national progress on cancer outcomes, including our global cancer initiatives, and informing a forthcoming implementation roadmap for NCDs at WHA75. On Thursday, Dr Bente Mikkelsen spoke at the IARC Governing Council. 

INTEGRATING NOMA INTO THE NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASE AGENDA

Noma, a necrotizing NCD starting in the mouth, is estimated to be fatal for 90% of affected children in poor communities, mostly in Africa, and leads to lifelong disability and often social exclusion. 

Since the inception of WHO’s international programme to control noma in 1994,  the WHO’s Oral Health Programme has led global and regional noma control efforts, including the implementation of the regional noma control programme by the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO). 

Through the World Health Assembly Resolution on oral health (WHA74.5) in 2021, Member States gave WHO a mandate to be coordinated by our NCD and neglected tropical disease (NTD) Departments to “include noma in the planned WHO 2023 review process to consider the classification of additional diseases within the road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021–2030.”  

For the first time ever, last week we convened a landmark stakeholder meeting, to facilitate a coordinated effort among key stakeholders for inclusion of noma in the planned review process. The meeting included insights on the scientific evidence on the epidemiology of noma, latest activities implemented in countries, and a mapping of gaps in meeting the requirements of the review process. 

This meeting is an important milestone for action on this damaging NCD, with particular impacts in the African Region.

This week, we are announcing the winners of the Health For All Film Festival, including the Special Prize for Rehabilitation! You can watch the winners online from 1700 on Friday 13 May, or join us at the British Library on Sunday 15 May. 

THE IMPACT OF SOPHISTICATED ONLINE MARKETING OF ALCOHOL POINTS TO NEED FOR MORE REGULATION

“Alcohol robs young people, their families and societies of their lives and potential. Yet despite the clear risks to health, controls on the marketing of alcohol are much weaker than for other psychoactive products. Better, well enforced and more consistent regulation of alcohol marketing would both save and improve young lives across the world.”

- Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO

One of the biggest changes in recent years to alcohol marketing is the use of sophisticated online marketing.

A new report from WHO highlights the increasing use of sophisticated online marketing techniques for alcohol and the need for more effective regulation. It shows that young people and heavy drinkers are increasingly targeted by alcohol advertising, often to the detriment of their health. It also highlights how increasingly sophisticated advertising and promotion techniques, including linking alcohol brands to sports and cultural activities, sponsorships and use of e-mails, SMS and social media, are being used to increase customer loyalty and gain new customers.

Reducing the harm from alcohol – by regulating cross-border alcohol marketing, advertising and promotion is the first report from WHO to detail the full extent of the way that alcohol is today being marketed across national borders – often by digital means – and in many cases regardless of the social, economic or cultural environment in receiving countries.

​​​​​​​Worldwide, 3 million people die each year as a result of harmful use of alcohol – one every 10 seconds – representing about 5% of all deaths. A disproportionate number of these alcohol--related deaths occur among younger people, with 13.5% of all deaths among those who are 20–39 years of age being alcohol-related.

WOMEN, GIRLS AND NCDs AS AN OVERDUE HEALTH ISSUE 

Biological differences, gender roles, and social marginalization can expose women and men to different NCD risks, dictate whether women and girls can modify their NCD risk behaviors, and determine the access to, and success of, the NCD care they need. Efforts that can improve NCD outcomes for all, such as increased awareness and action on NCDs in primary health care, and efforts to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure for medical care through universal health coverage, are likely to disproportionately benefit women.

Last week, Dr Bente Mikkelsen, Director for Noncommunicable Diseases at WHO, was invited to present on the gender disparities in the burden of NCDs around the globe, and her professional reflections, as part of the Women in Global Health inspiration series! She discussed women leadership and advice for young people in international settings within global health. 

You can watch the session, and reach out to Bente, below.

HOUSEKEEPING

As part of efforts to improve WHO communications, we always want your feedback of what you like, and what you would like to see more of! Send me your feedback below.

THE TWEETS WE RETWEET

• Reading about the North Karelia Project, bringing fifty years of improved heart health, increasing life expectancy and healthy years of life while reducing population-level blood pressure (May 2022)
• Don't miss all of the NCD events happening at WHA75! Check out @NCDAlliance's calendar to get the latest background of side-events (May 2022)