WHO says people with NCDs more vulnerable to severe COVID-19, lists how to prevent it

 

WHO reveals people with pre-existing Non-Communicable Diseases are more vulnerable to the coronavirus disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that people with pre-existing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the coronavirus disease.Published

6 hours ago

on

September 25, 2020

This was disclosed in a statement by the UN health agency on its twitter handle on Thursday, September 24, 2020.

The WHO, in its statement, listed some of those Non-Communicable Diseases to include:

• Cardiovascular diseases like hypertension, persons who have had and are at risk for a heart attack or stroke
• Chronic respiratory disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is a chronic inflammatory living disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs
• Diabetes
• Cancer

The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, disclosed that the coronavirus outbreak has shown why action on NCDs is important. He acknowledged that people with non-communicable diseases are especially at risk, which is made worse by disruptions to essential services.

He said, “The risk has been compounded by disruptions to essential services including diagnosis and treatment of cancer and diabetes and other non-communicable diseases.”

He pointed out that the health services gaps are not just in treatment and care, as he said all nations still have much more to do to prevent NCDs. He said that too many people are dying from preventable diseases that are mostly preventable.

The WHO boss revealed that to prevent and control these non-communicable diseases, one has to stop tobacco use, reduce the use of alcohol, cut salt intake, consume less sugar, increase physical activity, eliminate industrial trans-fats, and treat high blood pressure.

He said that all these interventions are part of WHO’s best buys in a set of 16 most attractive ways to save lives and save money.