One in 3 Indians has high BP: WHO report

One in every three Indians suffers from high blood pressure and one in 10 suffers from diabetes, according to the new report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

According to the World Health Statistics 2012 report, released in Geneva on Tuesday, a quarter of all Indian men are smokers.

The report says that cardiovascular diseases and diabetes kill 386 men and 283 women for every one lakh.

Non-communicable diseases account for 53 per cent of all deaths in the country, the report adds.

The report, which gives estimated prevalence as on 2008, says 33.2 per cent males and 31.7 per cent females suffer from high blood pressure in India while 10 per cent Indians suffer from raised blood glucose levels. About 9.9 per cent Indian men and 12.2 per cent women are overweight while 1.3 per cent and 2.4 per cent respectively are obese. It says 27 per cent suffer from high cholesterol levels. However, physical inactivity levels remain relatively low with 10 per cent men and 17 per cent women qualifying as inactive.

Officials in the Health Ministry say the figures are on par with the government's estimates and that is the reason why the National Programme for Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke was launched two years ago. Preliminary data from the diabetes screening initiative puts the incidence of the disease at approximately 16 per cent.

Cancer screening under the programme is yet to start. The WHO report says that 78.8 men for every one lakh and 71.8 women succumb to the disease.

Bio-security Bill in Cabinet today

NEW DELHI: The Cabinet is likely to consider a proposal to introduce the Agricultural Bio-security Bill, 2012 on Thursday. The Bill provides for setting up of an Agricultural Biodiversity Authority of India to regulate trade on plants, livestock and their products as a part of its responsibility for the country's agricultural bio-security.

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