EDITORIAL

At the recently held 71st World Health Assembly, the Caribbean region came one step closer to wining the fight against non-communicable disease (NCDs). It was at this assembly that Caribbean health ministers agreed on the need for increased action to not only fight, but ultimately beat NCDs. It was further agreed by health ministers that participation by heads of state and governments was integral at the United Nations High-Level meeting in September later this year.

Non-communicable diseases are those that are not caused by infectious agents and are generally chronic in nature, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases.
At present, statistics show that each year; 15 million people aged 30 to 70 years die from a non-communicable disease. To bring that point closer to home, the World Health Organisation’s country profile 2014 states that non-communicable diseases account for 84% of total deaths in Barbados and that the probability of dying between the ages of 30 and 70 by an NCD is therefore estimated to be at 14%.

Barbados, along with the rest of the Caribbean and world has been grappling with not only the social effects of the loss from NCDs, but also the economic effects. The burden of NCDs has been felt in
workplaces throughout the country. Increased absenteeism or absence from work due to illness, and presenteeism or working with decreased productivity due to illness has translated into 1 billion dollars lost in productivity.

The good news is that non-communicable diseases are largely considered preventable, because they are caused by modifiable risk factors. One of these risk factors being a person’s lifestyle, which if
unhealthy, increases the likelihood of certain NCDs.

Behaviours such as smoking, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity can lead to hypertension and obesity, which then in turn can result in increased risk of NCDs. It has largely been recognised that if these
primary risk factors were eliminated, 80% of the cases of heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes, and 40 % of cancers could be prevented.

Interventions targeting the main risk factors could have a significant impact on reducing the burden of disease. To this end, Caribbean stakeholders in the fight against NCDs have recommitted themselves at the 71st World Health assembly to reducing tobacco use, physical inactivity,use of alcohol, unhealthy diets as well as air pollution. It is recognised that to win this fight, it is integral that all parties involved mobilise and make prevention and targeted treatment of such diseases a priority.

This renewed commitment therefore in the Caribbean brings us one step closer in arresting the upsurge of non-communicable diseases and improving our economy and quality of life.