National Conference on Prevention

Prevention has historically been, and remains today, the fundamental approach for the control of infectious (communicable) diseases caused by microorganisms, including viruses. Today prevention is also emerging as a preferred option for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which account for approximately 70% of total mortality worldwide. NCDs have very diverse nosological profiles (diabetes, heart attacks, cancers, etc.) but very often share common aetiological roots [Allen, 2017]: risk factors internal to the body (hyperglycaemia, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, etc.) or arising from personal behaviours (diet, physical activity, tobacco use, alcohol, etc.) and factors in the physical environment (occupation, urbanisation, climate, infectious agents) or socio-economic conditions. This very often results in a concentration of multiple NCDs among the most disadvantaged sections of the population. Continuing to prioritise an approach that diagnoses and treats each NCD individually, using increasingly sophisticated and personalised methods, implies a continuous rise in demand for healthcare services alongside a parallel increase in costs, which is certainly unsustainable in the medium to long term. The alternative of a comprehensive prevention of these diseases by tackling them at the level of their common aetiological roots may slow down the rise in costs whilst offering the fundamental and certain advantage that ‘being healthy is better than being sick or dead’ [Rose, 1992]. The conference aims at examining and discussing how, in light of the advances in biomedical research and social sciences, a health policy centred on prevention as a comprehensive approach to health and disease may be implemented.

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