This Week in Global Health

A weekly round- up of selected health news from around the world. Posted each Friday.

Two actors try to dissuade passersby from smoking, as part of a campaign by the Singapore Health Promotion Board. (AP/Wong Maye-E)

The UN Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases was held from Sep 19-20, sparking conversations around the globe. The health meeting closed with general resolutions by member states to reduce the burden of NCDs. Some coverage from the AP, CBS,  ABC, Business Week, Scientific American and more.

WLF’s Dr. Judith MacKay talks to WBEZ 91.5 about what she observed at the summit.

Five global priorities put forward in the summit’s resolution are listed here by Sciencemediacentre.com.

Read the full release by the United Nations summit attendees here. (via UN.org)

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg was amongst the last to speak at the summit, discussing New York’s success in combating NCDs via tobacco control ads, anti-obesity campaigns, and smoking bans. (The Atlantic)

The Economist’s piece on NCDs explores the consequences of previously ‘first world’ diseases in developing countries.

WLF weighs in on the importance of tobacco control when discussing NCD prevention.

An op-ed in the Sydney Morning Herald criticizes the UN for not going far enough to combat NCDs. An overview at  CNN covers several of the obstacles that may have impeded progress at the summit.

Dr. MacKay also weighs in on tobacco prices in Japan, as reported by Bloomberg Businessweek.

The Social Good Summit was also held this week; the Huffington Post reports on some of the events and forums.

Public health groups weigh in on tobacco companies’ suit against the FDA, as reported by the AP. (Read an interview with WLF’s Rebecca Perl about the suit here.)

As cigarette smoking rates drop, hookah smoking is on the rise, reports the Atlantic.

The Wall Street Journal reports that a panel has recommended a substantial overhaul of financial practices at the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The AP reports that China’s NCD rate is rising as more Chinese people smoke and consume diets high in salt.

Have a news item that you think should be included in ‘This Week in Global Health’?
E-mail shamill@worldlungfoundation.org.