Erick Mahatara: Almost 75% deaths in the world are due to NCDs, and the urgency around these diseases still seems too low
Erick Mahatara, Ambassador and Scholar at Cancer Fight Tanzania, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Every 2 Seconds, a Life Is Lost And I Couldn’t Stay Silent.
During one of our community health lessons, a particular slide stopped me in my tracks. It showed that in 2019 alone, 17 million people died from Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) before reaching 70 years of age, 86% of those deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries like ours. That statistic hit me hard.
Almost 3 out of 4 deaths in the world are due to NCDs, and yet, the urgency around these lifestyle-related diseases still seems too low.
At that moment, I couldn’t stay silent. I raised my voice not just in the classroom, but for every life lost too soon from preventable conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. As someone deeply committed to health advocacy, I realized that this was more than just a topic in a lecture it’s a silent emergency affecting families, communities, and our future.
As an NCDs champion, I believe we have a responsibility to raise awareness, promote preventive lifestyles, and advocate for stronger health systems that address the root causes of these diseases. We can’t afford to ignore the numbers. Behind each statistic is a story that could have had a different ending.
Let’s act now. Let’s speak up. Because every two seconds, Someone’s life depends on it.”
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