2011
Saving 5 million lives on our streets and highways by 2020
Road traffic injuries are now the number one cause of death globally for young people aged 15-29. In Japan, over 6500 traffic deaths occur annually for all age groups; pedestrians make up the highest percentage of victims. With the increasing burden of death and disability caused by road accidents, the UN General Assembly declared this Decade of Action in March 2010, with WHO taking the lead. On 11 May, dozens of countries around the world will kick off the decade (2011-2020) with events including the lighting up of landmark monuments in London, Brazil, and New York. Governments from New Zealand to Mexico and South Africa are committing to taking new steps to save lives on their roads. If successfully implemented, the Global Plan's activities could save 5 million lives and prevent 50 million serious injuries over the course of the decade.
New WHO report: deaths from noncommunicable diseases on the rise
Noncommunicable diseases are the leading killer today and are on the increase, the first WHO Global status report on noncommunicable diseases launched on 27 April confirms. In 2008, the most recent year for which data is available, 36.1 million people died from conditions such as heart disease, strokes, chronic lung diseases, cancers and diabetes. Nearly 80% of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries.