Two-thirds of deaths are caused by non communicable diseases

Nearly two-thirds of deaths in the world are caused by non communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart and lung disease.While the international community has focused on communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, the four main non communicable diseases have emerged relatively unnoticed in the developing world and are now becoming a global epidemic. Nearly 36 million people died from non communicable diseases in 2008 and nearly 80 percent of deaths from these diseases were in the developing world. The main causes of these diseases are tobacco use, unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, obesity and harmful alcohol use.It is the poorest people that suffer the most because they cannot afford early detection and quality care and must deal with overburdened and poorly equipped health care systems. By 2030 non communicable diseases are expected to cause five times as many deaths as communicable diseases worldwide.