Non-Communicable Diseases

In an article presented by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance is calling on the global development community to step up and answer the call for assistance. NCDs cause 60 percent of all global deaths. They say that 80 percent of the deaths are in the developing countries, but receive 2.3 percent of international development assistance.

The non-communicable diseases are cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. This is a great call by the IDF.

Now I would like to turn this to the USA and turn up the heat on the American Diabetes Association. With the fact that diabetes kills more people than AIDS and breast cancer combined, why is there not more funds being raised by the ADA? Since there are many types of diabetes, and they are increasing in the US and around the world, we should expect to see our ADA doing more.

Considering that the ADA has finally accepted World Diabetes Day and World Diabetes Month, now we need to work on them to accept the World Diabetes Blue Circle and then have them work more diligently in getting funds to combat diabetes.

There are many areas that the ADA could work to educate people, but has chosen to bury its head in the sand of non-action and leave important activities languish because it is collectively afraid to offend a few of its more prominent doctor members.

Read the article here.