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The deadliest diseases in Europe aren’t caused by viruses – they are chronic health conditions that could be largely avoided with better medical care and public health, a new analysis says.
Every year, 1.8 million people in Europe and Central Asia die from avoidable deaths from noncommunicable diseases such as cancer, heart disease, chronic respiratory issues, and diabetes, according to a report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
That’s down from 2010, but the COVID-19 pandemic has set back efforts to bring down preventable deaths further, the report said. Meanwhile, key risk factors, such as obesity, are on the rise and the burden of chronic conditions is expected to grow as the population continues to age.
The analysis spans the WHO’s European region, which includes 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia. Across the bloc, one in five men and one in 10 women under the age of 70 die from preventable health issues.
Most of these deaths – 60 per cent – are linked to tobacco, alcohol, high blood pressure, unhealthy diets, obesity, or a lack of exercise. Another 40 per cent could be avoided through timely access to health care, the WHO said.
“Noncommunicable diseases are not just preventable or treatable; they are also largely ignored,” Hans Henri Kluge, WHO’s Europe director, said in a statement.
“Yet the truth is, if [these conditions] were a virus, the world would be in lockdown,” he added.
There are major disparities between countries – and they are growing. Since 2010, gaps have widened on tobacco use, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes, and narrowed only for air pollution and deaths overall.
Some countries have made progress. Ten have reduced premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases by at least 25 per cent since 2010: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.
They have all taken steps to reduce risk factors and strengthen their health systems, the WHO said, calling on other countries to follow suit.
The report comes as countries prepare to meet in New York in September for a United Nations conference on noncommunicable diseases. They are expected to focus on access to primary care, mental wellbeing, and the role of businesses and commercial actors in shaping health outcomes, among other topics.
“The high burden of [these diseases] in our societies is not inevitable,” Kluge said. “We have the power and tools to turn things around”.
