Noncommunicable diseases, or NCDs, have long been sidelined by the global health sector, which has largely focused on infectious diseases — but deprioritizing them has dire consequences. They’re now the leading cause of death and disability globally — with nearly three-quarters of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Treatments are often expensive, with many people paying out-of-pocket or forgoing them when the price is too high.
This year, the visibility around these diseases — such as chronic lung, cardiovascular, cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and mental health — has been elevated due to an upcoming high-level meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
And the first big moment in the lead-up to this meeting was the World Health Assembly, or WHA, in Geneva, where countries approved the first resolution on kidney health, established a global day focused on cervical cancer elimination, and approved resolutions on lung health, eye, and hearing care.
About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
