The Lancet Group

How can we reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the most cost-effective way? Today, we at WHO Regional Office for Europe presented 25 specific public health measures – quick buys – that can improve people’s health within in a single political cycle. Co-authored by WHO/Europe’s NCD experts, a new paper in The Lancet Group Regional Health - Europe shows how targeted actions can have a positive impact on population health across Europe and Central Asia in as little as 5 years. The 25 quick buys include policies targeting key risk factors, including tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy diets, and physical inactivity, as well as disease groups, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and cancers. NCDs take a massive toll on lives and economies. In our Region, they account for 90% of all deaths and 85% of disability, including mental ill health. This is why addressing NCDs is a core pillar of the Second European Programme of Work - #EPW2. Ultimately, health is a political choice. We hope this study, with its clear findings, will help the governments and policymakers take bold actions to prevent and respond to the scourge of NCDs – securing better health for generations to come. The paper is available here >> https://bit.ly/4hN8aqA #HealthForAll WHO Regional Office for Europe | World Health Organization | Gauden Galea | Allison Ekberg Dvaladze | David Stuckler | Kremlin Wickramasinghe | Erkin Checheibaev | Martin McKee | Lela Sturua | Svetlana Cotelea-Nicolaescu | Aurelijus Veryga | Benedetta Armocida | Hanna Tolonen | Miranda W.

🗺️Today is World Tuberculosis Day, marking the anniversary of the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Dr Robert Koch in 1882. In 2023, tuberculosis once again became the leading cause of death from an infectious disease. In 2023, an estimated 10·8 million people fell ill with tuberculosis worldwide, and 1·25 million people died of tuberculosis. Globally, an estimated 400000 people developed multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis. With ongoing challenges, such as the recent termination of life saving tuberculosis treatment programmes by the Trump administration and possible future challenges, it is imperative to highlight the impact of tuberculosis and do everything possible to realise a tuberculosis-free world. 🗞️ The Lancet Infectious Diseases has published new tuberculosis content for #WorldTBDay. 🆕 Personal View ‘Tuberculosis preventive therapy: scientific and ethical considerations for trials of ultra-short regimens’ by Timothy Walker and colleagues. In this personal view, authors discuss scientific and ethical considerations around the investigation of ultra-short-course preventive therapy for tuberculosis. The full personal view can be found here:  https://bit.ly/4hHvENI 📰News ‘Tuberculosis groups struggle with loss of US funding’ reported by Ed Holt The news piece can be found here: https://bit.ly/4bZoMtM 📝Correspondence ‘Threat of HIV and tuberculosis drug resistance after US funding cuts’ by Max McClure and Monica Gandhi Read more here: https://bit.ly/4c1Krlc 🪪Profile Profile of rovina ruslami by Tony Kirby Read more here: https://bit.ly/4iWCNuE #EndTB

🌐 Today is World Tuberculosis Day, marking the anniversary of the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Dr Robert Koch in 1882. TB remains the leading cause of death from an infectious disease.  🧪 The Lancet Respiratory Medicine has some special content, published today and freely available to all, to highlight the devastating impact of TB disease and the urgent need to work towards ending TB. 📰 News End of #USAID leaves enormous funding shortfall for TB by Talha Burki https://lnkd.in/e3PdRXzY 📜 Comments Unveiling a hidden phenotype of early #tuberculosis https://lnkd.in/eisyGu4A Addressing the growing TB disease burden in England https://lnkd.in/ee6fXNZE   The importance of post-tuberculosis morbidity in high-income countries https://lnkd.in/epRS76c5 Equitable, personalised medicine for tuberculosis: treating patients, not diseases https://lnkd.in/evpbQKyx 📚 Review Post-tuberculosis lung disease: towards prevention, diagnosis, and care https://lnkd.in/eSQwd-QM 🙏 Massive thanks to all our authors for their work in this area Joanna Ehrlich Clara Suñer Navarro Gavin Churchyard Frank Cobelens South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) Tom Wingfield Manish Pareek Lorenzo Guglielmetti Samiran Panda Carole Mitnick Dr Rebecca Nightingale Leonardo Martinez Daire Cantillon Beate Ringwald Jamillah Meghji Celso Khosa Andrea Rachow Neelima Navuluri Samara Barnes Refiloe Masekela Gregory Bisson Sara Auld Amanzhan Abubakirov Ailva O'Reilly #EndTB

When a person is diagnosed with tuberculosis, one of their first questions is often, “Why did I get tuberculosis? Why me?” A diagnosis of tuberculosis can be overwhelming. In The Lancet, a new Seminar spotlights what health-care providers can do to ✅ Respond appropriately and effectively to patients’ concerns ✅ Identify people who are at risk or are affected by tuberculosis ✅ Promptly initiate rapid and accurate investigations, then offering effective preventive or curative treatment with adequate support -- including after successful completion of treatment Tuberculosis remains a leading cause of death globally, with ongoing and emerging challenges threatening the strong movement to eliminate the disease. Read the Seminar in full ➡️ https://hubs.li/Q03cTsrm0 Images below based on a figure in the paper illustrating risk factors and main clinical characteristics of tuberculosis infection and disease. #WorldTBDay #EndTB

📢 Measles is resurging, not just in the USA. 57 countries in 2023 saw large and disruptive measles outbreaks, which is an increase of 58% compared to 2022, and almost half of all outbreaks were in Africa. The MMR vaccine is highly effective with 93% protection after one dose and 97% after a second. However, under-vaccination for measles is increasing and this is driven by various factors, such as vaccine misinformation, lack of access to vaccination, or conflict. 💡In a recent comment- ‘Measles in Texas: waning vaccination and a stark warning for public health’, Trish Perl and Krutika K. discuss how declining vaccination rates are driving the resurgence of measles and warn that without urgent action, more preventable diseases will follow. Read the full comment here: https://bit.ly/4hDMg9a 💡Our recent editorial ‘Facts and myths about measles’ highlights that knowing the facts about measles information and disinformation is key for measles control. Quote: ‘Infectious disease specialists have a role in pointing out the high rates of complications of measles infection and questioning the motivations of antivaccine activists.’ Read the editorial here:  bit.ly/4bMMaus #Measles, #MMR, #disinformation, #outbreaks

Exposure to household air pollution remains a leading global risk factor, contributing considerably to the burden of disease ❌ This is despite decreased use of solid fuels for cooking 📉 A new paper in The Lancet estimates 2.67 billion people—just over a third of the global population—were exposed to household air pollution (HAP) from all sources at a mean concentration of 84·2 μg/m3 in 2021. While these figures suggest a notable reduction in the percentage of the global population exposed in 1990, in absolute terms, there has been only a decline of 0.35 billion (10%) from the 3.02 billion people exposed to HAP in 1990. Action on HAP has the potential to improve the quality of life and health outcomes for millions of people ✅ Explore how these new estimates could help health policy makers and practitioners precisely target and tailor health interventions ➡️ https://hubs.li/Q03cGkzP0 Figure: Percentage of global population exposed to HAP from solid cooking fuels, 2021

🆕 ‘Health in Canada: a pivotal political moment’ Read the latest Lancet Editorial: https://hubs.li/Q03bSCtJ0 📖 Full issue: https://hubs.li/Q03bSBB10 Alt: Cover of The Lancet, March 15 issue. Quote: “Although attention is understandably focused on issues of identity and sovereignty, Canada must not lose sight of the other issues at stake—not least, the integrity of its cherished universal health-care system.”

🆕 Once-a-year injection to protect against HIV is safe and shows promise as a long-acting prevention medication, phase 1 study finds. The latest study, presented at the 2025 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), is the first to evaluate a once-yearly injection of an HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication. Expanding the options for PrEP can help overcome current barriers to access and adherence, and drive progress toward reducing new HIV infections. Find out more ▶️ https://hubs.li/Q03bG_nG0 👇 Figure: Median (IQR) plasma concentration–time profiles of once-yearly intramuscular lenacapavir versus twice-yearly subcutaneous lenacapavir for formulation 1 (A) and formulation 2 (B).

✨ Exciting new Lancet role ✨ This autumn, we will launch an open-access journal dedicated to the unique health challenges on the African continent: The Lancet Regional Health—Africa. To support this important endeavour, we are searching for a Senior Editor—someone who can ✅ Manage the creation and publication of original, engaging material ✅ Oversee submissions and quality peer review to ensure we publish high-quality content ✅ Build global relationships with experts in the community This will be a full-time, in-house position, based in Cape Town, South Africa. Think you or someone you know is the ideal candidate? Find out more and apply here ⤵️ https://hubs.li/Q0398Ndh0

🆕 “More than half of adults and a third of children and adolescents predicted to have overweight or obesity by 2050” Without urgent policy reform and action, over half the world’s adult population (3.8 billion) and 1/3 of all children and adolescents (746 million) are forecast to be living with overweight or obesity by 2050. This poses an unparalleled threat of premature disease, according to a major new analysis published in The Lancet. “Ultimately, as global obesity rates continue to soar, much stronger political commitment is needed to transform diets within sustainable global food systems and to support comprehensive strategies that improve people’s nutrition, physical activity and living environments, whether it's too much processed food or not enough parks”, said author Dr Kerr. Find out more in these articles ⤵️ 1️⃣ hubs.li/Q039bPS-0 2️⃣ hubs.li/Q039c0tk0 Figure from paper 1: Estimated age-standardised prevalence of obesity in adults aged 25 years and older by sex, globally and by super-region, 1990–2050. (A) Females. (B) Males. (C) All sexes combined. Shaded regions are 95% uncertainty intervals. #WorldObesityDay