Diabetes and disease disproportionally affect poorer economies

We may be winning the war on death from infectious diseases but we now face a greater threat from non-communicable diseases, writes Steve Davis

OVER the last 25 years, thanks partly to a co-ordinated global effort to fight infectious diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis (TB), HIV/Aids, and polio, childhood mortality rates have been reduced by 50%, and average life expectancy has increased by more than six years.

Moreover, the share of the world’s population living in extreme poverty has been halved. These are major achievements, but they have brought a new set of challenges that must urgently be addressed.