The unsung assassin; the threat of non-communicable disease to human security.

摘要

Non-communicable disease is the biggest cause of death globally, responsible for more than double the deaths from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and all other infectious diseases combined. Four out of five chronic disease deaths occur in developing countries, and the future looks even more alarming: The toll of chronic disease is growing rapidly, with the most marked increase among the poor. Human security is a normative approach that has arisen to address contemporary challenges, such as the rise of chronic disease, which the orthodox realist model of security is often ill equipped to handle. Human security shifts the centre of security from states to people, in order to protect the vital core of all human lives from critical and pervasive environmental, economic, food, health, personal, and political threats.;The unnecessary loss of life and suffering caused by chronic disease undeniably affects the vital core of human lives, and should be considered as an important threat to human security. Even as the human security approach attempts to tackle health issues such as infectious disease, non-communicable disease has been conspicuously absent from the discussions. This thesis aims to address this gap by establishing that non-communicable disease is a threat to human security, and the author discusses the policy implications of using a human security approach to combat non-communicable disease It employs a qualitative evaluation using secondary sources and statistical databases to evaluate the magnitude of the chronic disease epidemic, and its impact on human lives.;A means of tackling chronic disease in line with human security would concentrate on prevention, and it would be people-centered, building the capacity of individuals to care for their health. Fundamentally different from a national security approach to health, human security seeks to empower people and their communities to take responsibility for their health, but also seeks to protect them from and prevent health crisis through addressing root causes, and increasing capacity to deal with health problems. Decreasing the prevalence of common risk factors for chronic disease, such as tobacco, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, and alcohol abuse through awareness building and policy change must be made a priority by human security scholars and policy makers.