First Lady Dr Christine Kaseba (l) with The Royal Society Executive Director Dr Julie Maxton of Washington-Picture by THOMAS NSAMA
London, Friday, December 14, 2012 – First Lady Dr. Christine Kaseba-Sata has told an international conference on global health burden that Zambia will greatly benefit from the results of a recent study that describes and locates patterns of disease globally.
Dr Kaseba-Sata was speaking in London today at the Royal Society at Carlton House Terrace during a conference discussing, among other things,the results of the study: “Rapid Health Transitions-Findings and Implications of the Global Burden of Disease 2010,” jointly conducted by Lancet, the London-based health research group, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and the Washington University.
The First Lady, who featured on a panel session that discussed the implications of the global disease burden said specific data on Zambia will help the country address the challenges highlighted on the one hand, and strengthen positive areas on the other.
Zambia High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Lt.Col Bizwayo Nkunika, Counsellor for Economics Mrs. Ikayi Mushinge, First Secretary for Consular Affairs, Mr. Steward Nchimunya, and Press Secretary Mr. Amos Chanda accompanied the First Lady at the conference.
The conference attracted leading health experts from national governments, the United Nations and other international organisations, universities and research institutions and several non-state actors in the health sector.
Some of the topics by other discussants included mortality and causes of death; disability and injuries, and risk assessment.
The Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 (GBD 2010) is the largest-ever systematic effort to describe the global distribution and causes of a wide array of major diseases, injuries, and health risk factors.
The results show that infectious diseases, maternal and child illness, and malnutrition cause fewer deaths and less illness than they did 20 years ago.
“Fewer children are dying every year, but more young and middle-aged adults are dying and living with disease and injury, as non-communicable diseases become the dominant cause of death and disability worldwide. Since 1990, men and women worldwide have gained slightly more than 10 years of life expectancy, but spend more years living with injury and illness,” the report says.
