An initial result of a recent study showed that deaths from non-communicable diseases account for almost two-thirds of the total deaths in the world. It is rapidly increasing to a point where it has become a financial burden to the global economy.

The four main non-communicable diseases, which include cancer, diabetes, as well as heart and lung disease, have come out fairly unnoticed as the international community has kept its attention on communicable diseases. Communicable diseases include HIV/AIDS, malaria, as well as tuberculosis.

Non-communicable diseases have become a global epidemic, said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a report released on Monday.

In 2008, about 36 million people have died from non-communicable diseases. That is equivalent to 63 percent of the total global deaths that same year. Also, the report says about 80 percent of deaths from non-communicable diseases have come from developing countries, and 9 million deaths have come from men and women below 60 years-old.

It also foresees that deaths from non-communicable disease will rise up to 75 percent by 2030. Ban said that the increasing scale of non-communicable diseases is stimulated by the increasing risk factors such as use of tobacco, poor diet, obesity, lack of exercise, and alcohol consumption.

The potential costs of non-communicable diseases in the developing world are astounding. The World Health Organization estimates that non-communicable diseases, also called lifestyle diseases, will cost $558 billion in China, $237 billion in India and $303 billion in Russia- total of more than $1 trillion from 2005 to 2015.