Medical trends revealed in latest health statistics compilation migration

The rising deaths caused by non-communicable diseases and the vast inequality in health resources between developed and developing countries are two of the trends spotlighted in an annual statistical compilation released recently by the World Health Organization(WHO).

The new report, World Health Statistics 2007, represents the most complete set of health statistics currently available (on a set of 50 health indicators) and highlights trends in ten of the most closely watched global health figures.

According to the report, available online at http://www.who.int/whosis/en/index.html, population ageing will result in significant increases in the total number of deaths caused by most non-communicable diseases, particularly cancer, over the next 30 years.
Other trends monitored by the publication include projections of mortality for the year 2030, aspects of maternal mortality, the extent to which people can access treatment, the major risk factors for ill-health, and health outcomes in the context of demographic factors in individual countries.