In a new article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Dr. Tom Frieden and colleagues call for a focused strategy and more investment to address the world’s leading killer diseases. The article outlines specific, effective, and measurable steps countries can take to make progress and increase the chances that the upcoming 2025 United Nations High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases delivers results:
- Increase taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary beverages to prevent 50 million premature deaths over the next 50 years and generate $20 trillion in revenue
- Expand hypertension treatment to prevent up to 130 million deaths over 35 years
- Scale up cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment, including widespread HPV vaccination
- Reduce air pollution through cleaner energy transitions and stricter emissions regulations to prevent at least 10 million deaths
- Improve nutrition by mandating front-of-package warning labels and reducing sodium intake.
