THE POOREST AREAS OF THE WORLD SUFFER. THE RICHEST AREAS OF THE WORLD SUFFER. FROM PREVENTABLE DISEASES.

One of the most wrenching ironies is that the preventability of death from certain diseases plagues both the developing world and the developed world. Developing countries incur high death rates from diseases that are preventable, or controllable, such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, diarrheall diseases and tuberculosis. All of these conditions can be prevented, controlled, or ameliorated through public health measures and medical interventions. All it takes is some money.

By contrast, the developed world incurs premature death from preventable causes such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and obesity.

It said about 17 million people die prematurely each year as a result of the global epidemic of largely preventable chronic diseases -- the leading cause of death in the world today.

GOLFER JOHN DALY IS THE POSTERCHILD FOR “LIFESTYLE DISEASE”

Unless national interventions are urgently taken to reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases, 36 million people will die of these diseases by 2015, nearly half of them before they turn 70," said Shigeru Omi, director of the WHO regional committee for the Western Pacific.

The committee Friday was winding up a five-day meeting in the southern South Korean island of Jeju.

In 2005 the WHO set a global goal of reducing the projected trend of chronic disease death rates by two percent each year until 2015.

The vast majority of cases are caused by a small number of known and preventable risk factors. Three of the most important are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use, the WHO said.

GLUTTONS FOR PUNISHMENT OR PUNISHED FOR GLUTTONY

The Western lifestyle, while permitting its members to live long enough to die from cancer, still permits premature death from “lifestyle”. It is likely that fellow human beings struggling in the developing world would welcome the chance to live in a culture where their lifestyle, not there life circumstances, may kill them.

NOT EXACTLY A BALANCED EQUATION IN THE DESERT OF THE REAL!