Most of us in Europe, Asia and America are living longer – but not so much of that in Africa. Many people in Africa are dying earlier than us of malaria, typhoid etc….those old fashioned diseases caused by bugs, dirty water and exacerbated by under nourishment.

However few of us will simply die in our sleep – instead we will die of other diseases like cancer or heart/blood pressure problems because these are diseases of old age. Most Africans, for the moment, are spared that.
The diseases that will kill us off are non-communicable diseases, known as NCDs and you’ll be glad to know that the UN is on the case.

On Saturday at the sixty-fifth World Health Assembly – a meeting of the 194 member countries of the World Health Organisation – ‘delegates approved the development of a global monitoring framework for the prevention and control of NCDs, including indicators and a set of global targets.

Don’t rush out into the street proclaiming that the WHO has found a cure for cancer because we’re not talking about SCIENCE. The guys and gals in their white coats are still shaking their test tubes and are still far away from finding a cure. No, we are talking about the only global industry that is in permanent growth mode – public health agitprop or health “education” as the industry prefers to describe itself.

‘The NCD Alliance, a global advocacy organization representing a network of more than 2,000 civil society organizations led a major lobbying campaign, and mobilized its network to ensure this target was secured.’
‘Intense lobbying by NGOs’ : the epitaph of our times. How delightful it is that these organisations think that lobbying and legislation is a substitute for biology and medical science.

You know exactly what sort of people will be implementing these campaigns says Chris Snowdon at Spiked

the puritans, bureaucrats, nannies and headbangers of public health are so keen on the idea of ‘non-communicable diseases’, because it gives them what every trigger-happy army general wants: a war without end.

…and it gives them salaries and funds to spent upon “marketing strategies”…and once in situ they will always be demanding more money for “one last push” and the supply of money will be limitless because it will come from “governments” i.e. taxpayers pockets.

Here’s a novel idea – why not by pass the lobbyists and “civil groups” and marketers with all their high rent offices and glossy leaflets and bustling office staff and give the money to the guys and gals in the research laboratories shaking their test tubes and help them find an actual cure….

Nah – on second thoughts that’s a bit too old fashioned and so not 21st century….and there wouldn’t be any “ambassador” jobs for Hollywood celebrities and their hangers on….