Why do most people die? That was the question addressed by a special summit meeting of the United Nations in New York City in mid-September. The final report from the first-time summit identified noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) as the leading cause of death worldwide.
Every year, 36 million people die from diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, most of which are preventable.
Following the summit, the World Health Organization announced a massive effort aimed at preventing and reducing NCDs and issued recommendations to tackle this global disaster. The recommendations were surprisingly cost-effective.