ABSTRACT
With globalisation, modernisation and urbanisation, the world faces threats from old and emerging infectious diseases and chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Malaysia has not been spared a double disease burden. NCDs contributed to 65 per cent of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) in men and 74 per cent in women while ischaemic heart disease topped the league tables for burden of disease for men and women (see Table 11.1). Risk factors for NCDs (for example, smoking, alcohol, high blood pressure and cholesterol, and overweight and obesity) were also leading causes of the disease burden. On the other hand, infectious diseases were responsible for 9.3 per cent of total DALYs (10.1 per cent in men; 8.1 per cent in women) (see Table 11.1), 85 per cent of which is from mortality. Almost half the burden of infectious diseases is contributed by septicaemia followed by tuberculosis (TB) (13.3 per cent), other infections (13.1 per cent) and HIV/AIDS (11.6 per cent) (Ahmad et al. 2004: 48; 60).
