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Noncommunicable diseases top priority in health agenda
Elly Burhaini Faizal, The Jakarta Post

With the number of deaths from noncommunicable diseases far greater than deaths from infectious diseases, the government has prioritized efforts to fight noncommunicable diseases this year.

The Health Ministry is planning to improve campaigns for healthy lifestyle to reduce the risks of noncommunicable diseases while at the same time continuing its fight against infectious diseases.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), whose Ministers of Health met in Muscat, Oman earlier this week, is the first regional entity to respond, at a heads of state level, to the UN General Assembly Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) by developing a regional strategy to address diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and chronic respiratory disease.

Putting commitments into action

20 December ׀ 2011 Geneva -- In response to paragraphs 61 and 62 of the Political Declaration of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (resolution 66/2), WHO has developed a discussion paper outlining a comprehensive global monitoring framework and the technical background for developing a set of voluntary global targets for the prevention and control of NCDs, for consideration by Member States.

BRASILIA — President Dilma Rousseff on Thursday signed a law banning smoking in all enclosed public spaces in Brazil.

The new text will make Brazil, which has a population of more than 191 million, the largest country in the world to go smoke-free.

It amends a 1996 law which allowed smoking in specially designated, ventilated areas.

New norms must be regulated by Congress to set the values of fines that will punish violators, the official Agencia Brasil said.

AMMAN - Jordan is committed to implementing the National Strategy for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD), as immediate action is required to create public awareness about NCDs, a Ministry of Health official said on Tuesday.

Tobacco giant Philip Morris is suing the Australian government over a new law making plain packaging mandatory for cigarettes from December 2012.

WASHINGTON, November 17, 2011 Heart disease, cancer, strokes, obesity, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death in the Caribbean and represent a rapidly increasing share of total health expenditure for countries in the region, says the World Bank.

Non-Communicable Diseases are a serious threat to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals and are robbing society's funds that could be devoted to social and economic development, Vice-President John Landa Nkomo has said.

During last week's JSCO 2012 Annual Meeting, the 8th Asia Cancer Forum adopted a Declaration outlining its commitments to address cancer, in line with the recently adopted UN Political Declaration on NCDs. The Declaration was adopted at the 49th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Clinical Oncology which took place from 27 - 29 October 2011 under the theme: “Toward the goal: Finding the best way and Taking the first step”.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are threatening millions of lives unless major policy changes take effect, according to experts speaking at a press conference held in Lille, France as part of the 42nd Union World Conference on Lung Health.