For the future: delivering better health in the Western Pacific region

Abstract

The Western Pacific region is home to nearly 1.9 billion people spread across 27 countries and 10 areas. The Region is rapidly and constantly changing. Unprecedented economic growth, migration and urbanization have created opportunities for better lives that many people could not have imagined a generation ago. Yet these social, economic and demographic changes have also created new health challenges: the ever-present risk of health emergencies and the emergence of new health security threats; an increase in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs); and air pollution, climate change and other environmental changes are all putting people's health at risk. At the same time, some countries' populations are rapidly getting older, while others are still facing a significant burden of disease from “traditional” health threats, including infectious diseases and infant and maternal mortality.