The Prime Minister of the Republic of Namibia, Dr Saara Kuungongelwa-Amadhila, launched the National Strategy on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases recently in Windhoek. The Strategy aims to reduce the preventable and avoidable burden of morbidity, mortality and disability due to non-communicable diseases in the country.
The Prime Minister said that over 50% of deaths in Namibia are due to non-communicable diseases. The most common NCDs in Namibia are cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, cancers and chronic obstructive airway diseases, the PM said. Namibia also has a very high prevalence of high blood pressure which is a key risk factor for stroke and heart attacks. "Almost one in five Namibian adults is obese due to consumption of unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles. Further, the country's total per capita consumption of alcohol stands at 10.8 liters, again making it one of the highest in the SADC region
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