Addressing chronic noncommunicable diseases is essential to strengthen urban resilience to communicable pandemic diseases

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ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility and vulnerability of urban systems and populations across the world. Yet while the infection is the focus of attention, the chronic noncommunicable diseases that affect large and increasing parts of urban populations create significant underlying vulnerability and augment the damaging consequences of COVID-19. People with noncommunicable diseases are experiencing the greatest mortality, hospitalization, and intensive care requirement, whereas protection, prevention and reduction measures are underdeveloped and insufficient. The COVID-19 experience in cities globally has highlighted specific needs and gaps, as well as opportunities to ‘future-proof’ cities against the additional vulnerability of noncommunicable diseases.

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© Ishu Kataria and Angie Jackson-Morris 2021. Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

KEYWORDS:

• Noncommunicable diseases
• urban health
• COVID-19

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ishu Kataria

Dr Ishu Kataria works on noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention and control both in India as well as globally. She has experience in conceptualizing and developing interventions, capacity building initiatives, and designing and implementing programs on NCDs, including cancer prevention, adolescent NCDs, and behavior change communication. Ishu has served as a Special Advisor to the World Health Organization for NCDs and is the NCD focal point for the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth. She also co-chairs the recently established Youth Coalition on NCDs. Ishu is currently a Senior Public Health Researcher with the Center for Global NCDs at RTI International.

Angela M. Jackson Morris

Dr Angela M. Jackson Morris has been working to create better health across a range of countries and sectors for over twenty years, particularly to reduce and prevent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Angie’s expertise is in designing and guiding strategies, policies, programs, and capacity development, in co-production with local and global partners, and underpinned by formative and implementation research. Angie is currently Senior Global Health Specialist with the Center for Global NCDs at RTI International, and previously has worked internationally and with national governments in countries including Saint Helena, Republic of Maldives, India, and the United Kingdom.