Chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes are the leading causes of human death and may kill 388 million people globally in the following years if let it going unchecked, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

In its global report "Preventing chronic diseases: a vital investment" launched Tuesday, the WHO set a goal to reduce the chronic disease death rates by 2 percent annually till 2015.

If the goal was achieved, the lives of 36 million people would be saved from chronic diseases in the next 10 years, including 25 million in the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (Unescap) region.

With the development of urbanization and globalisation, the major causes of death and disability have shifted from infectious and parasitic diseases to injuries and chronic diseases, which account for 67 percent of all deaths in the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (Unescap) region, Kim Hak-Su, Unescap executive secretary was quoted by Bangkok Post as saying Wednesday.

Robert Beaglehole, WHO director on health promotion, surveillance, prevention and management of non-communicable diseases, said chronic diseases are no longer the problems of rich countries, but less developed countries as well.

Having a substantial macro-economic impact on the region, chronic diseases could force big countries forego billions of dollars in national income over the following decade.

Beaglehole said three main strategies, including healthy diet, regular physical activity and avoidance of tobacco use, could prevent up to 80 percent of premature heart disease, stroke and diabetes and 40 percent of cancer.

He called on governmental support along with individual effort to be made to rein the expansion of the diseases.

In Thailand, chronic diseases account for 59 percent of all deaths in 2002.

Source: Xinhua