Botswana Launches its NCDs strategy

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   Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are also known as chronic diseases, are diseases that cannot be passed from person to person. They tend to be of long duration and slow progression. There are four (4) main types of NCDs: cardiovascular diseases (eg high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attack), cancers, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases (eg asthma). Mental health conditions, like depression, are one of the major groups of NCDs with crucial relevance in efforts to control and prevent NCDs.  

  NCDs are responsible for about 41 million deaths (70%) worldwide. Cardiovascular diseases account for 17.9 million deaths annually, followed by cancers (9.0 million), chronic respiratory diseases (3.9 million), and diabetes (1.6 million).  NCDs lead to loss of productivity, inability to work and a decrease in income. They increase health-care costs, drain household resources, often need lengthy and expensive treatment and forces millions into poverty and stifle development. Prevent disease and death.

  NCDs are driven by primarily four major risk factors: tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and the use of alcohol. Tobacco accounts for over 7.2 million deaths every year. About 4.1 million annual deaths have been attributed to excess salt/sodium intake. More than half of the 3.3 million annual deaths attributable to alcohol use are from NCDs, including cancer. 1.6 million deaths annually can be attributed to insufficient physical activity. 

Action: Eat healthy, Exercise, No alcohol & No smoking.