PHA-Exchange> More Aid Required for Chronic Conditions in Low IncomeCountries

[Claudio]

From: "Leela McCullough" <leela at healthnet.org>
 <afro-nets at healthnet.org>;

In an article published in the January 18, 2007, issue of the New England 
Journal of Medicine, Gerard Anderson, PhD, professor in the Department of 
Health Policy and Management at the <http://www.jhsph.edu>Johns Hopkins 
Bloomberg School of Public Health, highlights the need for more 
international assistance to address chronic non-communicable conditions 
affecting people living in low and middle income countries. According to 
Anderson, chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer 
result in more deaths and account for more years of healthy life lost than 
most communicable diseases, and yet little international aid is focused on 
preventing or treating these conditions. For instance, cardiovascular 
disease is the cause of 30 percent of all deaths globally and 27 percent of 
deaths in low income countries. By comparison, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and 
malaria, combined, account for 10 percent of all deaths globally and 11 
percent of death in developing countries. Prevention and treatment programs 
for non-communicable chronic diseases are possible at relatively low 
cost-per-life saved or disability prevented.

"It's a myth that chronic diseases affect only rich countries. Despite the 
fact that a substantial burden of disease in the world's poorer countries is 
caused by non-communicable chronic diseases, most international aid is 
focused primarily on preventing and treating infectious diseases," said 
Anderson, author of the article, which he co-authored with Ed Chu, a medical 
student at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "Treating infectious 
diseases must remain a priority, but additional resources should be 
committed towards treating and preventing non-communicable chronic 
conditions if we want to address global health needs effectively and address 
the major reasons for premature mortality in the world."

Anderson suggests a number of reasons why international aid has historically 
focused on controlling infectious diseases. For one, infectious diseases 
pose an international threat if they spread uncontrolled. Another is that 
many donors want a permanent solution such as a vaccine that may not be 
possible with non-communicable chronic diseases. Also, chronic conditions 
are rarely viewed as urgent problems in low income countries and generally 
do not attract the attention of celebrities.

"There are many effective and affordable interventions for the treatment and 
prevention of non-communicable chronic diseases. The treatment and 
prevention of non-communicable chronic conditions needs to be added to our 
list of global health priorities," said Anderson.

"Expanding Priorities­Confronting Chronic Diseases in Countries with Low 
Income" was written by Gerard Anderson, PhD, and Edward Chu, MPH, a medical 
student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.