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Alcohol and cigarettes are risk factors for the development of non-communicable diseases
Photo: Basak Gurbuz Derman / Getty Images
Heart disease, cancer or diabetes are serious diseases that cannot be transmitted from person to person.
According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), they are the cause of almost three quarters of all deaths worldwide.
As the WHO reported on Wednesday, around 41 million people worldwide die from non-communicable diseases every year, 17 million under the age of 70 alone.
These diseases have now overtaken infectious diseases as the leading cause of death.
Every two seconds, a person under the age of 70 dies from a non-communicable disease, said Bente Mikkelsen, head of the WHO non-communicable diseases department in Geneva.
However, only a minimal proportion of disease-fighting funds go to the fight against these diseases.
By 2030, 39 million lives could be saved
86 percent of deaths under the age of 70 from non-communicable diseases occur in low- and middle-income countries, the WHO writes in its report.
People in poorer countries in particular often do not receive the necessary preventive care, treatment and care.
Additional health spending equivalent to around 140 billion euros by 2030 could bring low- and middle-income countries a net economic benefit of around 2.7 trillion euros - partly because treated sick people can work again.
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The WHO emphasized that the main risk factors for non-communicable diseases could be effectively controlled.
"We just have to implement the interventions everywhere," said Mikkelsen.
These included a reduction in tobacco use, a healthier diet, less alcohol, more exercise and better air.
If the well-known and effective interventions were implemented, 39 million lives could be saved worldwide by 2030 and countless people could live longer, healthier and happier lives, the report says.
At the same time, the WHO is launching an interactive data portal in which the situation in every country in the world can be viewed.
It shows that Sweden, Norway, Italy and Australia, among others, are the least affected by non-communicable diseases.
Comparisons between countries are also possible.
Compared to Germany, France has greater problems with obesity and poor nutrition, but the French are more physically active.
However, the data situation is not equally good in all countries.
mar/dpa/AFP