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WHO / WORLD HEALTH STATISTICS
STORY: WHO / WORLD HEALTH STATISTICS
TRT: 2.40
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: EMBARGOED UNTIL WEDNESDAY 16 MAY 2012 10:00 CENTRAL EUROPEAN TIME
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 15 MAY 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
FILE – 2011, PALAIS DES NATIONS, GENEVA
1. Wide shot, Palais des Nations
15 MAY 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. Med shot, Dr Ties Boerma, Director of the Department of Health Statistics and Information Systems reading report
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Ties Boerma, Director of the Department of Health Statistics and Information Systems, WHO:
“The World Health Statistics are the most comprehensive source of data on health indicators for 194 countries in the world and this allows us to see patterns of disease across borders, this allows us to see where we are making progress against major diseases, where certain causes of deaths are more common than others, which of course has major implications for health programs within countries and around the world.”
FILE – UNMISS – 8, 9 MARCH 2012, TORIT, EASTERN EQUATORIA, SOUTH SUDAN
4. Pan right, women waiting outside the maternity ward of Torit Civil Hospital
5. Close up, the maternal and child health wing with UNICEF logo
6. Med shot, a nurse checking a pregnant woman’s blood pressure
7. Med shot, a midwife examining the pregnant woman
8. Med shot, a nurse getting blood sample from a pregnant woman for HIV test
15 MAY 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Ties Boerma, Director of the Department of Health Statistics and Information Systems, WHO:
“It’s very encouraging to see the progress in the fight against infectious diseases which is leading to a major reduction in child mortality which has been faster in the last five years than the past two decades and it also has been faster in the highest mortality countries in the world, in Africa, in South Asia. We’ve also seen a reduction in maternal mortality over the past few years that is faster than before but still there are about 287 thousand maternal deaths every year. Then we see the big shift to non-communicable diseases such as cancers, and heart disease and stroke and right now four out of five deaths due to non-communicable diseases are actually in low and middle income countries, it’s no longer just a disease of the high income countries and underlying that are the higher prevalence of risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity, tobacco and unhealthy diets which are now spreading around the world.”
FILE - WHO - RECENT, INDIA
10. Various shots, cancer and diabetes patients
11. Various shots, people eating
FILE - WHO - RECENT, SWITZERLAND
12. Various shots, people drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes
FILE - WHO - RECENT, FRANCE
13. Various shots, people exercising
The World Health Statistics 2012 report, released today (16 May), puts the spotlight on the growing problem of the non-communicable diseases burden.
One in three adults worldwide, according to the report, has raised blood pressure – a condition that causes around half of all deaths from stroke and heart disease. One in ten adults has diabetes.
For the first time, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual statistics report includes information from 194 countries on the percentage of men and women with raised blood pressure and blood glucose levels.
In high-income countries, widespread diagnosis and treatment with low-cost medication have significantly reduced mean blood pressure across populations – and this has contributed to a reduction in deaths from heart disease.
In Africa, however, more than 40 percent (and up to 50 percent) of adults in many countries are estimated to have high blood pressure. Most of these people remain undiagnosed, although many of these cases could be treated with low-cost medications, which would significantly reduce the risk of death and disability from heart disease and stroke.
Also included for the first time in the World Health Statistics 2012 are data on people with raised blood glucose levels. While the global average prevalence is around 10 percent, up to one third of populations in some Pacific Island countries have this condition. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to cardiovascular disease, blindness and kidney failure.
Obesity is also another major issue. The highest obesity levels are in the WHO Region of the Americas (26 percent of adults) and the lowest in the WHO South-East Asia Region (three percent obese). In all parts of the world, women are more likely to be obese than men, and thus at greater risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
Non-communicable diseases currently cause almost two thirds of all deaths worldwide.
Published annually by WHO, the World Health Statistics is the most comprehensive publication of health-related global statistics available. It contains data from 194 countries on a range of mortality, disease and health system indicators including life expectancy, illnesses and deaths from a range of diseases, health services and treatments, financial investment in health, as well as risk factors and behaviors that affect health.
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