According to a new study by Lancet, the global life expectancy rose by 6.2 years between 1990 and 2021, but the progress was interrupted by Covid-19 pandemic especially in developing countries.
The study said the increase in expectancy rate was driven by reductions in death from diarrhea, lower respiratory infections, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ischemic heart disease.
However, the progress was stalled during pandemic as Covid-19 became the second major cause of death, forcing the life expectancy to decline by 1.6 years between 2019 and 2021.
Regionwise, the study observed that the largest reduction in life expectancy, a decrease of 3.6 years, due to Covid was noticed in Latin America and the Caribbean, whereas the largest gain, an increase of 8.3 years, was noticed in Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania, which was achieved due to the proper management of pandemic and huge reduction in mortality from stroke and respiratory diseases.
“On one hand, we see countries’ monumental achievements in preventing deaths from diarrhea and stroke,” said Dr. Liane Ong of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluations, one of the authors of the study. “At the same time, we see how much the Covid-19 pandemic has set us back.”
Also, the research presented updated estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study or GBD, revealing that deaths in regions of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia in 2021 were mainly caused by enteric diseases or foodborne infections.
Professor Mohsen Naghavi, the study’s co-first author and the director of subnational burden of disease estimation, IHME suggested, “We need to focus on preventing and treating these diseases, strengthening and expanding immunization programs, and developing brand-new vaccines against E. coli, norovirus, and Shigella.”
Speaking on lending a helping hand to developing countries, Eve Wool, senior author of the study and a senior research manager, IHME, advised, “The global community must ensure that the lifesaving tools that have cut deaths from ischemic heart disease, stroke, and other non-communicable diseases in most high-income countries are available to people in all countries, even where resources are limited.”
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