2011-05-03
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.