Southeast Asia sees near 150% rise in heart disease, study shows
The number of people with cardiovascular disease surged by 148% in Southeast Asia over the past three decades, with the condition becoming the region's leading cause of mortality and morbidity, according to new research.
A total 37 million people in the region suffered from cardiovascular disease in 2021 and 1.7 million died from it. The findings by researchers at Seattle-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and the National University of Singapore are based on analysis of health data between 1990 and 2021 from 10 Southeast Asian countries that make up the ASEAN bloc.
The results, published this week in a special edition of The Lancet Public Health dedicated to the region, highlight the growing burden of public health, including cardiovascular disease, mental disorders, smoking and road injuries. The main reasons contributing to cardiovascular disease were high systolic blood pressure, dietary risks, air pollution, high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and tobacco use.
The aging population in the region also contributes to the big jump in case numbers, according to Marie Ng, the lead author and affiliate associate professor at IHME and associate professor at NUS.
"Without immediate action from each of the countries, these preventable health conditions will worsen causing more death and disability across ASEAN,' said Ng, who sought proper resource allocation from governments.
It's worth noting that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence of deaths due to cardiovascular disease rose more than predicted and a separate study from 2023 flagged the risk of increase in cardiovascular disease in children born to mothers infected with COVID-19 during pregnancy.
The latest study published in The Lancet Public Health found that more than 80 million people in ASEAN suffered from major mental disorders, 70% higher than in 1990. A closer look by age showed 15- to 19-year-olds had the steepest climb in prevalence at nearly 11%.
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Japan Times
a day ago
- Japan Times
Hegseth to prioritize China, increased allied spending in Asia — but questions remain
If there was any doubt about Donald Trump's top military priorities in the Indo-Pacific, his defense chief's widely anticipated speech at this year's Shangri-La Dialogue made these crystal clear: deterring China and having allies commit to higher spending and burden-sharing are at the top of his list. Warning on Saturday of an imminent and 'real" threat by Beijing to alter the regional balance of power in Asia, particularly with an invasion of Taiwan, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called on Washington's regional allies and partners to ramp up military budgets — possibly to as high as 5% of gross domestic product. 'We cannot look away and we cannot ignore it. China's behavior toward its neighbors and the world is a wake up call and an urgent one,' Hegseth said before a packed house as defense chiefs, military brass and senior diplomats gathered in Singapore for Asia's premier regional security conference. Pointing to 'destabilizing actions' in areas such as the disputed South China Sea as well as Beijing's potential to invade self-ruled Taiwan, Hegseth said in his first major public outline of the Pentagon's Indo-Pacific policy that China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is building the capabilities needed for an invasion. Beijing is 'training for it every day and rehearsing for the real deal,' he warned, asserting that Chinese leader Xi Jinping 'has ordered his military to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027' — an intelligence-based assessment that is difficult to independently verify as there is no public record of Xi stating this. China, which did not send Defense Minister Adm. Dong Jun to the conference, reacted swiftly, with the Foreign Ministry in Beijing accusing Washington of touting a 'Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation.' 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Pouring even more cash into defense coffers would come with significant political costs, something Defense Minister Gen Nakatani alluded to following a bilateral meeting with Hegseth later Saturday. Asked whether the two had spoken about a specific number for Japan's defense budget, or if the U.S. side had requested that Tokyo purchase more defense equipment, Nakatani demurred, saying only that he had reiterated Japan's view that 'what is important is the substance of strengthened defense capabilities," not an arbitrary figure. Nouwens, however, said it remained too early to tell exactly what Hegseth — and more importantly Trump — may expect from Asian allies and partners, despite the spending hike hint. 'It wasn't clear to whom this applies and if the expectation is that countries in Asia match' the demands that European nations spend 5% of GDP on defense, she said. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday. | Bloomberg Hegseth had sought to ease at least some of the growing skepticism and murkiness surrounding the Trump administration's claimed focus on the Indo-Pacific by zeroing in on China as a malign regional actor. 'We will not be pushed out of this critical region, and we will not let our allies and partners be subordinated and intimidated,' Hegseth said in his speech, claiming that Beijing 'seeks to become a hegemonic power' in Asia. Later on Saturday, Hegseth met with the defense chiefs of Japan, Australia and the Philippines — the first gathering of a grouping known as "the Squad" under the second Trump White House — with the defense chief calling the grouping the most 'strategically positioned to manifest deterrence, to bring about peace' amid 'an unprecedented military buildup by China.' 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'In peacetime, these groupings might be there, but in wartime, they may not be there,' Bo told The Japan Times in an interview, while also raising doubts about Japan's appetite for a major conflict with China. Hegseth's speech stood in sharp contrast with remarks delivered the previous night by French President Emmanuel Macron who called on Asian and European nations to build 'strategic autonomy,' avoid picking sides between the U.S. and China, stand up to "spheres of coercion" and forge "coalitions of action" in a number of areas including security, the environment and trade. But Macron also credited Trump for encouraging Europe to increase defense spending, widely seen as an important step to achieving this strategic autonomy. Kaja Kallas, the European Union's top diplomat, shared a similar view, comparing Trump's insistence on more military spending to "tough love." "It's love nonetheless, so it's better than no love," Kallas said when asked later about Hegseth's speech. Nevertheless, this year's Shangri-La Dialogue revealed a growing perception gap between the U.S. and Europe in terms of what the latter's role in Asia should be. In recent years, European powers have been ramping up their presence in the region, engaging in a flurry of bilateral and multilateral military activities. Queried about this, Hegseth said that while this was 'useful,' he would 'much prefer that the overwhelming balance of European investment be on that continent.' This, he said, would allow Washington to use its 'comparative advantage as an Indo-Pacific nation to support our partners here.' Kallas, however, disagreed, adding that she had made her views known to Hegseth following his speech. 'Great powers maybe think that they don't need anybody; everybody needs them instead,' she told The Straits Times newspaper. 'But I think in these times, everybody needs everyone. We need to work together — the big powers too.'
NHK
a day ago
- NHK
Myanmar's military extends ceasefire until June 30
Myanmar's ruling military has extended a ceasefire with pro-democracy forces until June 30. The extension was announced on Saturday. The military and pro-democracy forces separately declared a temporary ceasefire after a major earthquake struck central Myanmar in March. The aim was to prioritize relief efforts. Fighting has continued since the military coup in 2021. The military says March's quake has left more than 3,700 people dead and over 5,000 injured. It also says it decided on the latest extension to speed up the reconstruction and rehabilitation of affected areas. But a source from the pro-democracy camp told NHK that the military's ceasefire declaration is false and unacceptable, as the military is attacking schools, hospitals and other places where people gather. In May, the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations issued a statement calling for the extension and expansion of the ceasefire in Myanmar. But it remains uncertain whether the ceasefire will hold, as fighting appears to be ongoing. Local media reported last month that a military airstrike on a school in the northwestern region of Sagaing killed more than 20 children.
NHK
2 days ago
- NHK
Japan, US defense chiefs agree to strengthen cooperation in cyberspace
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