The World Health Organization has just published its report on leading causes of death in the world in 2011. A report which indicates that in ten years, the 6 leading causes of death have remained the same, with mainly coronary heart disease and strokes which alone cause 24% of the 54.6 million deaths recorded during the year.
Next come, from the 3and at the 6and place: lower respiratory tract infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diarrheal diseases and HIV.
The prematurity that occupied the 7and place in 2000 went down in 10and position and tuberculosis, which was in 8and position dropped from the top 10 leading causes of death to 13and position, with 1 million people dying from it.
Chronic diseases are killing an increasing number of people. “Smoker’s cancers” (cancer of the trachea, cancer of the bronchi and cancer of the lung) caused 1.5 million deaths in 2011 (compared to 1.2 million in 2000). Similarly, diabetes, which caused 1 million deaths in 2000, caused 1.4 million in 2011.
Finally, road accidents make their entry into this sad picture, at the 9and square. They took the lives of 3,500 people every day in 2011 (700 more than in 2000).