From the HCC President at the 67th World Health Assembly

I am here at the 67th WHA at the invitation of the NCD Alliance and as an official member of the Barbados Delegation with a unique opportunity to take part in and observe this well established important international event from both the perspective of a member state as well as that of a civil society organisation, the HCC. There have been many highlights at the Assembly starting with the Director General’s announcement that she has established a high-level Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity.

One of the highlights of the second day of the assembly was the specially invited guest appearance at the assembly by Melinda Gates. Mrs. Gates spoke with deep conviction and gave her commitment on child and maternal health issues. In this session, held in the large Assembly Hall where there was “standing room only”, the Dr Christine Mwelwa Kaseba-Sata, the First Lady of Zambia, preceded Mrs Gates, by giving a very powerful, impassioned, and impactful special presentation on the abuse of women. Read more

For more images from the 67th World Health Assembly click here

Providing Pap Tests for Indigenous Women in Guyana

Through the Caribbean Civil Society Cervical Cancer Prevention Iniative (C4PI) funded by the Australian Direct AID Programe (DAP) and managed by the HCC, the Cancer Institute of Guyana has screened 500 women for cervical cancer.

General Manager of CIG, Fiona Legall noted, 'Guyana is a very big country in land mass and small in population as compared to other Caribbean islands. We have remote indigenous population that do not have easy access to basic health care systems, as such many health conditions go un-noticed and those that are detected usually are at the late stage. By utilizing this grant, CIG was able to access those remote areas in Region 1 (Hobediah, White Water Creek and Moruca Villages) and Region 10 to carryout health education and training programme which would allow for better and early diagnosis of preventable and easily treatable conditions like cervical cancer using the VIA and Pap Smear Screening'.

For more photos from the CIG C4PI click here

Updates on the 67th World Health Assembly

Rolling summary of events surrounding the 67th WHA. For immediate updates please follow @UICC @NCDAlliance #WHA67 on Twitter.

NCD Alliance Launches Policy Brief at the 67th Session of the WHA

This week the NCD Alliance launched a new policy brief, “Sustaining Human Development: Leveraging Early Life Opportunities for NCDs,” produced in collaboration with The Partnership for Maternal and Newborn Child Health (PMNCH), the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), and NCD Child. The HCC is proud to recognise the inclusion of this powerful statement made by Her Excellency Reema Carmona, First Lady of Trinidad & Tobago.The policy brief provides the rationale for investing in the early years of life for NCD prevention and control, offers strategic opportunities for interventions and impact, and outlines recommendations for the post-2015 era. The policy brief was launched today at a WHA 67 side event “Addressing the NCD Challenge in the Post-2015 Development Agenda: The Lifecourse Approach,” co-hosted by the governments of Malaysia and New Zealand, the NCD Alliance and the World Heart Federation. Read more

Addressing the NCD Challenge in the Post-2015 Development Agenda: the Life-Course Approach

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition shared perspectives on the life course appraoch to NCDs through the lens of Caribbean civil society at the May 21st NCD Alliance sponsored side event at the WHA in Geneva. HCC President shared findings from the recently completed RSR and elaborated on the lessons learned to inform countries in the region as they set up their own national multisectoral mechanisms for action across the life-course.

Panelists included: Dr Margaret Chan - Director-General, World Health Organization; Hon Dr Leao Talalelei Tuitama - Minister of Health, Samoa; Sir Peter Gluckman - Chief Science Advisor, Prime Minister of New Zealand; and Sir Trevor Hassell, President, Health Caribbean Coalition.

The objectives of the side event were to: To present evidence on the early origins of NCDs and importance of life-course approach to health and NCDs in the post-2015 agenda; To explore practical, low cost, and innovative ways that address the social, economic and environmental conditions that drive NCDs through multisectoral approaches at the government level, including health in all policies and whole-of-government approaches; and To explore the way forward for a life-course approach to health and NCDs in the post-2015 framework, while considering existing systems, programs, and policies. For more pictures click. To read the NCD Alliance Brief 'Sustaining Human Development: Leveraging Early Life Opportunities to Prevent and Control NCDS' click here

MSH at 67th World Health Assembly - The WHA is the supreme decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), and is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States. This year, six Management Services for Health (MSH) representatives will attend as part of the 60-plus-person Global Health Council (GHC) delegation. MSH will co-host three side events focusing on the role of universal health coverage (May 20), chronic diseases (May 20), and governance for health (May 21) in the post-2015 framework. Read more

Will NCDs gain traction at the World Health Assembly? - The 67th World Health Assembly is happening this week in Geneva, and one of the key issues on the agenda is noncommunicable diseases. NCDs - cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease — result in more than 36 million deaths each year, and 80 percent of these occur in low- and middle-income countries. In Africa, deaths from NCDs are expected to outpace those stemming from infectious, maternal, prenatal and nutritious diseases by 2030. Read more

NCD Alliance E-Alert - New NCD Alliance Policy Brief – Early Life Opportunities, “Sustaining Human Development: Leveraging Early Life Opportunities for NCDs,”; Highlights from Official WHA 67 Agenda - This week at WHA 67 there are a number of important NCD agenda items under discussion.; NCD Alliance and The Lancet NCD Countdown 2025 Event - The NCD Alliance and The Lancet hosted a side event on Monday 19 May to introduce a new accountability initiative for NCDs; New WHO Commission on Childhood Obesity; Launch of Universal Health Coverage monitoring framework. Read more

The SA NCD Alliance launches its website

The SA NCD Alliance launched its website www.sancda.org.za on the 16th May. The website includes news on all issues relating to NCDs in South Africa and the region; activities of the SA NCD Alliance; resources for download; monitoring efforts and opportunities to get involved in NCD advocacy.

An interesting angle of the webste is its section on Essential medicines and Stop Stock Outs, the SA NCD Alliance is monitoring the availability of essential medicines for NCDs and is collaborating with Stop Stock Outs - see http://stockouts.org/about-us.html (an independent cvil society consortium that monitors availability of essential medicines in public sector facilities across South Africa) to report on stock outs of NCD medicines and equipment. Visit the new site www.sancda.org.za

Prostate cancer 'may be a sexually transmitted disease' - Prostate cancer may be a sexually transmitted disease caused by a common yet often silent infection passed on during intercourse, scientists say - but experts say proof is still lacking. Although several cancers are caused by infections, Cancer Research UK says it is too early to add prostate cancer to this list. The University of California scientists tested human prostate cells in the lab. They found a sex infection called trichomoniasis aided cancer growth. Read more

NCD Articles on WebMD

• A Visual Guide to Heart Disease - Heart disease can worsen slowly over time. Learn the early warning signs and how to prevent a heart attack. Read more
• Diet, Lifestyle May Affect Prostate Cancer Risk - Eating high-fiber carbs, drinking less milk, avoiding diabetes and heart risk factors may help cut risk. Read more
• Diabetes: 2 Large Meals Better Than 6 Small? - Eating two large meals may be better than eating six small ones with the same amount of calories to control weight and blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. Read more
• Asthma, Stress, and Anxiety: A Risky Cycle - Stress-induced asthma attacks not 'all in your head', expert says. Read more

HCC News Roundup Archive - If you have missed any of our News Roundups you can view previous Roundups on our News Roundup Archive webpage here

HCC Featured - Previously featured Members, events and news can now be found on our HCC Featured webpage here