Doubts raised for UN progress at disease summit

Monday, September 19, 2011
LONDON — Everyone knows what it would take to curb the global rise of chronic illnesses like heart disease, certain cancers and diabetes, but getting nations and their citizens to make the essential changes is more than daunting.
This week marks the first time the United Nations will tackle chronic diseases in a special summit in New York City, but it’s uncertain what the meeting will accomplish. There are no concrete targets and even if there were, there would be no teeth to enforce them. There’s no guarantee of money either.
On Sunday, the World Health Organization listed 14 solutions it says could save tens of millions of people. The price tag for all developing countries to adopt these measures is $11.4 billion every year — a figure hard to raise amid a financial crisis.
Noninfectious diseases kill about 36 million people every year, mostly in poor countries. In every region except Africa, these diseases kill more people than the ones that spread like AIDS and tuberculosis. But WHO projects that by 2030, chronic diseases will overpower the other ailments, including AIDS, even in Africa.
The draft document for the U.N. meeting recognizes “prevention must be the cornerstone of the global response.”
Yet there are no firm commitments to cut the number of deaths from chronic diseases or promises to bankroll efforts to combat the problem.
Ann Keeling, chair of the Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance, said real progress isn’t possible without a specific goal.
“If you don’t have a target, you don’t know where you’re going or whether or not you’re going to get there,” she said. Keeling said officials should set an overall goal, like reducing the number of preventable deaths by 25 percent by 2025.
Previous efforts for infectious diseases led to specific strategies, like the campaign to put 3 million people on AIDS drugs by 2005 or the malaria strategy to get bed nets to everyone who needs them by 2015.
In contrast, the U.N. chronic diseases document simply calls for options to be submitted by the end of 2012 and says another meeting will be held in 2014 to assess progress.
Still, all of the WHO recommendations are cheap, with an average cost of under $1 per person per strategy. They include things like:
— Raising taxes on tobacco and alcohol.
— Convincing food manufacturers and consumers to cut back on salt.
— Promoting public awareness about good diet and exercise habits.
— Providing generic drugs for people with diabetes and those at risk of heart attacks and strokes.
— Screening and early treatment of precancerous lesions to prevent cervical cancer
— Rolling out hepatitis B immunization to prevent liver cancer.
“Compared to some of the most cost-effective interventions in health like vaccines, these are a very good buy,” said Dan Chisholm, a WHO expert on the issue. He emphasized the agency’s role was only to draw up suggestions. “We can’t force countries to do anything.”
Even in rich countries, there hasn’t been much appetite to make major policy changes to fight chronic diseases. Europe has the world’s highest level of alcohol problems, yet in the wine-producing countries of Italy, Portugal and Spain, there is no tax on wine. In the U.K., health experts rail about the dangers of binge drinking and lament rising alcohol-related cirrhosis rates, but the government has so far refused to limit alcohol sales or hike taxes.
Fighting flab — obesity raises the risk for most chronic diseases — has been no easier. British chef Jamie Oliver recently called on the U.N. summit to make obesity a global human rights issue. Yet when Oliver introduced healthy lunches in a handful of British schools several years ago, children fought back by boycotting the cafeterias. Some parents even shoved hamburgers, pizza and french fries to hungry children through school yard fences.
Martin McKee, a public health expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said poor countries are even less willing to take on the alcohol, food and tobacco industries. “Developing countries are heavily lobbied by industry and often represent the corporate interest, not what’s best for their citizens,” he said.
In parts of Asia, the Middle East and eastern Europe, tobacco giants including Philip Morris have worked to weaken tobacco legislation and offered to write countries’ tax codes.
Last week, more than 140 health groups called on the U.N. to set guidelines to manage potential conflicts of interest in their dealings with the food and beverage industry. “Without such safeguards, policies and recommendations will invariably be weakened to suit the interests of powerful corporations,” the coalition said in a letter to the medical journal, Lancet.
Many countries are also unwilling to turn into nanny states that closely monitor their citizens’ eating, drinking and exercise. “Addressing (chronic diseases) requires behavior change and most countries are very bad at this because it’s so complicated,” said Sophie Harman, a global health expert at City University in London.
She said most countries would likely voice support for WHO’s chronic diseases solutions but she wasn’t convinced much more would be done. “All countries say they need to tackle these issues,” she said. “But the implementation is difficult and then all you’re left with is the rhetoric.” (AP)

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2011/09/19/doubts-raised-un-progress-disease-summit-180212

Leading Philippines Wine Supplier Yats Wine Cellars based in Clark Philippines with outlets in Angeles City, Subic Freeport and Manila Philippines has been not only a wine shop for fine wines covering all major wine regions but also a source of reliable and useful information about wine, wine appreciation, wine accessories, wine and health, food and wine pairing and all other matters relating to wine and its appreciation. This Philippines Clark Freeport based Wine Supplier and Wine Shop frequently holds public wine tasting events in Pampana Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles City, Subic Bay area, Makati, Fort Bonifacio and other areas in Philippines capital city Manila. Private Wine events such as private wine tasting and private wine dinners are also designed and organized for private clientele for their wine loving guests.

Wine Catering is a unique product of Yats Wine Cellars, created back in 2005 in response to a growing demand for private wine parties in Manila, Cebu, Subic, Angeles Clark Philippines.

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild is the most revered wine in China and many other parts of Asia. The best wine shop in Asia to buy older vintages of Chateau Lafite is Yats Wine Cellars located in Clark Philippines. Aside from Lafite, visitors can buy other fine wines at this wine shop in Clark Pampanga such as Latour, Mouton-Rothschild, Haut-Brion and Margaux. Excellent Burgundy wines like Chambertin, Vougeot, Musigny, Bonnes Mares, Pommard, Meursault, Chambertin, Vosne Romanee, Romanee Conti, La Tache and Romanee St. Vivant can be found here.

Yats Wine Cellars can be reached at their Clark Wine Center Philippines wine shop located on the main highway M A Roxas of Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone or their sales office in Ortigas Centre, Metro Manila. Here is the contact information:

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
(045) 841 4006 / 0922-870-5173 / 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay
Looking for interesting hotels near Manila Subic Clark Angeles City Pampanga?
Trouble free hotels and well recognized hotels in Subic Clark Angeles City Pampanga
Clearwater Resort and Country Club offers a good place to stay in Subic Clark Angeles City Pampanga. In offers nice place to have rest in Subic Pampanga outside Manila.
One of the Philippines top hotels in north Luzon.
Looking for a restaurant in Clark for a Business meeting? Or a place to eat with friends? Yats Restaurant offers exclusive dinner venue for groups, a good place to celebrate special occasions, it can be a party venue in town. Yats Restaurant is a recommended restaurant for private dinner in Philippines, a well-recognized restaurant that serves good food and good wines for dinner.

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Wedding couples looking for wedding reception venues and beach wedding venues can log on to this Philippines Wedding Venue web site for free information and assistance:

http://www.PhilippinesWeddingVenue.com

While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine shops in Clark Angeles Philippines http://www.yatsleisure.com

Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:

http://www.LondonPubClark.com

http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com

http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com

http://www.YatsWineCellars.com

Yats Restaurant is an excellent Restaurant to dine, a restaurant with good food, a good place to have birthday party and special events. A Kid-friendly restaurants in Manila

Famous Restaurant in Pampanga, a place to dine with friends in Clark, cozy restaurant with a nice ambience, a nice function place for special occasions

Are you looking for an attractive restaurant or a nice place to eat with friends in Clark, Angeles City Pampanga? Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar is a restaurant with good food and good wines for dinner located at Clark Angeles City Pampanga. Perfect for exclusive dinner venues for groups, recommended for private dinner in Philippines. A Restaurant in Clark for business dinner meeting. Private dinner place or dinner restaurant in Clark Subic Near Manila Angeles City Pampanga. Yats Restaurant is one of the Good Restaurant in Pampanga Angeles City Clark near Manila.

www.YatsRestaurant.com

Where to go in Clark? Hotel Clark Philippines is a De Luxe Hotel in Clark and Subic, a risk free place to stay, cozy and nice ambience, a nice function place for special occasion. It is one of North Luzon Philippines’ top hotels that is trouble free, risk free, and a nice place to have rest in Subic. A well-recognized and interesting hotel.

www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com