November 29, 2017
For immediate release
SEATTLE, Washington – Often referred to as “silent” diseases, cardiovascular, respiratory, and related disorders are responsible for a significant portion of the world’s health burden. While many of these conditions are preventable and treatable, countries need to build greater capacity to detect and treat at earlier stages, according to new findings presented in Cardiovascular, Respiratory, and Related Disorders – the latest volume of the Disease Control Priorities, 3rd Edition (DCP3) series.
Dr. D. Prabhakaran, volume lead editor and Director of the Centre for Chronic Disease Control at the Public Health Foundation of India says, “The diseases covered in this volume of DCP3 are responsible for creating significant economic burden for countries due to reduced productivity and high household spending for treatment costs. The rise of these conditions in low-and middle-income countries, along with the continued presence of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, creates a double burden of disease with devastating economic consequences.”
This volume provides a summary of the available evidence for effective and scalable interventions, identifies the most effective and cost-effectiveness priorities, and describes health platforms that are able to deliver these interventions. With attention to treatable health problems, such as stroke, ischemic heart disease, and congestive heart failure – as well as disease causes, such as obesity, tobacco use, and physical activity –it can serve countries as a broad roadmap for much needed attention to treatment and prevention of these conditions.
Dr. Rachel Nugent, volume editor and Vice President for Global Noncommunicable Diseases at RTI International, suggests that DCP3’s Volume 5 will serve as a foundation for Universal Health Coverage packages. “We are offering countries an essential package of 39 policies and health interventions that constitute the most cost-effective and feasible interventions for low-income settings,” says Nugent. “We hope this work will spur countries to accelerate and expand their actions to reduce the burden of these diseases and slow their rise.”
The DCP3 series is comprised of nine individual volumes that are being published by the World Bank Group through 2018. Cardiovascular, Respiratory, and Related Disorders is available open access on the World Bank’s Open Knowledge Repository. For more information or to download chapters, visit www.dcp-3.org and follow DCP3 on Twitter using @DCPthree and #DCP3.