Understanding the Importance of Non-Communicable Disease Surveillance

This essay emphasizes the critical role of non-communicable disease (NCD) surveillance in contemporary public health. It highlights that systematic data collection and analysis are essential for understanding NCD risk factors, disease burden, mortality rates, and the effectiveness of national health systems. The essay underscores the World Health Organization's recognition of surveillance as a key tool for NCD prevention and control, enabling countries to monitor disease trends, set priorities, and develop targeted interventions. Investing in surveillance is presented as a cost-effective strategy compared to managing the long-term consequences and treatment costs associated with uncontrolled NCD epidemics, which pose significant economic and social burdens globally. The essay concludes by reinforcing that proactive surveillance is crucial for mitigating the impact of NCDs such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory diseases, and diabetes.

Running head: THE IMPORTANCE OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASE
SURVEILLANCE 1
The Importance of Non-Communicable Disease Surveillance

THE IMPORTANCE OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE 2
The Importance of Non-Communicable Disease Surveillance
Noncommunicable disease surveillance is the current, systematic data collection and analysis to
give information on nations noncommunicable disease risk groups, burden, estimates of the
disease mortality, and risk factors for the disease, morbidity as well as the national system's
response (Riley et al., 2016). It is of great significance because it spells out the information
which is essential for policy and programme development. It is an integral tool by the World
health organization's duty in the control and prevention of non-communicable diseases.
Surveillance of a disease is very significant because it helps countries to monitor and evaluate
the current trends and patterns of disease. A country that invests in monitoring gets a firm grip on
the better management and prevention of non-communicable diseases (World Health
Organization, 2018). Data collected in the surveillance assists a country to set its priorities as
well as developing interventions targeting on the reverse of the epidemic caused by the non-
communicable disease. Treatment of conditions is very costly, hence the surveillance of the risk
factor is an important strategy.
Since noncommunicable diseases pose a considerable burden globally, with heart disease,
cancer, stroke, respiratory diseases, and diabetes being the most rapidly increasing sicknesses, it
is essential for countries to engage in surveillance. These infections have an impact
economically, and socially hence requiring urgent and strategic actions. According to Riley et al.
(2016), the significant NCDs led to 63% of deaths in 2012, approximately, 38 billion deaths per
year. These deaths could be largely preventable and reducible through the surveillance.

THE IMPORTANCE OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE 3
Investing in surveillance of non-communicable diseases is cost efficient as compared to bearing
the costly effect of non-communicable diseases together with their control and associated n
A good example, a non-communicable disease epidemic is intense and can cause a total of 3
million deaths in a year. Future projections based on the country's health data predict an alarming
increase in the prevalence of rising in fatalities by the next two years, without any serious action
taken. Surveillance of the disease remains the main course of action to such a case hence proving
its significance.

THE IMPORTANCE OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE 4
References
World Health Organisation (2016, 2018). Noncommunicable diseases. Retrieved from World
Health Organisation:
http://www.emro.who.int/noncommunicable-diseases/publications/questions-and-
answers-on-importance-of-surveillance-in-preventing-and-controlling-noncommunicable-
diseases.html
Riley, L., Guthold, R., Cowan, M., Savin, S., Bhatti, L., Armstrong, T., & Bonita, R. (2016). The
World Health Organization STEPwise approach to noncommunicable disease risk-factor
surveillance: methods, challenges, and opportunities. American journal of public health,
106(1), 74-78.