From Strategy to Actions: Prioritizing NCD prevention and control Regional workshop to advance NCD prevention and control in the WHO South-East Asia Region

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), principally cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases, impose a major and growing burden on health and development in the South-East (SE) Asia region. These major NCDs share the key risk factors of tobacco use, physical inactivity, alcohol use, unhealthy diet, and air pollution. In 2021, 55% of all deaths in the SE Asia region were due to NCDs, accounting for 9.5 million persons. Of particular concern is the fact that 50% of deaths from NCDs in the region were premature, in the age category of 30–69 years. CVDs and cancer contribute to the highest proportions of premature deaths among deaths due to NCDs in the SE Asia region with the proportions of premature deaths for the conditions being as high as 49% and 66%, respectively.

At its 76th session in 2023, the Regional Committee adopted the Resolution on ‘SEAHEARTS: Accelerating prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases in the SouthEast Asia Region (SEA/RC76/R5)’. The resolution calls for sustained and accelerated efforts at both policy and programmatic levels to address key CVD risk factors (tobacco use, high salt intake, and industrial trans-fats) while expanding hypertension and diabetes care through primary health care (PHC). The resolution also specifies a set of four milestones agreed upon by the countries to be reached by 2025. As of December 2024, progress toward the SEAHEARTS milestones suggests that the region is on track to achieve three out of four of its

2025 targets.