Non-Communicable Diseases in Emergencies: A Call to Action

Abstract

Recent years have demonstrated the devastating health consequences of complex emergencies and natural disasters and thereby highlighted the importance of comprehensive and collaborative approaches to humanitarian responses and risk reduction. Simultaneously, noncommunicable diseases are now recognised as a real and growing threat to population health and development; a threat that is magnified by and during emergencies. Noncommunicable diseases, however, continue to receive little attention from humanitarian organisations in the acute phase of disaster and emergency response. This paper calls on all sectors to recognise and address the specific health challenges posed by noncommunicable diseases in emergencies and disaster situations. This publication aims to highlight the need for: • Increased research on morbidity and mortality patterns due to noncommunicable diseases during and following emergencies; • Raised awareness through greater advocacy for the issue and challenges of noncommunicable diseases during and following emergencies; • Incorporation of noncommunicable diseases into existing emergency-related policies, standards, and resources; • Development of technical guidelines on the clinical management of noncommunicable diseases in emergencies; • Greater integration and coordination in health service provision during and following emergencies; • Integrating noncommunicable diseases into practical and academic training of emergency workers and emergency-response coordinators.

Burden of Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality Following Humanitarian Emergencies: A Systematic Literature Review

“…2 The findings of this review suggest that addressing chronic disease in disaster planning and response efforts may help mitigate cardiac morbidity and mortality following a disaster. Given the changing global burden of disease, planning for the monitoring and management of cardiac disease in the post-disaster period should be prioritized.…”

Three Steps to Improve Management of Noncommunicable Diseases in Humanitarian Crises

“…While a United Nations (UN) Political Declaration and a World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan recognise the significant contribution of NCDs to global morbidity and mortality [1, 2], the problem of NCDs during emergencies and in humanitarian response has been underrecognised [3]. The evidence base is negligible: a systematic review on the effectiveness of interventions for NCDs in humanitarian settings found just eight studies published over the last 35 years, four of which came from the same refugee camp in Jordan [4].…”

Modifying the Interagency Emergency Health Kit to include treatment for non-communicable diseases in natural disasters and complex emergencies: the missing clinical, operational and humanitarian perspectives

“…We welcome Tonelli et al 's1 contribution to raising the profile of non-communicable diseases (NCD), especially on NCD medicines in humanitarian emergencies, a topic that to date has received very little attention 2. However, we would question the message and conclusion of this paper on three grounds.…”