Author Archives: colinmathers

Latest estimates for global maternal mortality show accelerating progress

Posted on May 6, 2014 by colinmathers

I was just down at the Palais de Nations for a press conference to release our latest estimates of maternal mortality progress. A collaborative effort with other UN Agencies and academic groups that has taken quite a lot of time … Continue reading →

Posted in Global health trends, World Health Organization | 1 Comment

Reducing six modifiable risk factors could prevent 37 million deaths from chronic diseases over 15 years.

Posted on May 3, 2014 by colinmathers

Reducing or curbing just six modifiable risk factors—tobacco use, harmful alcohol use, salt intake, high blood pressure and blood sugar, and obesity—to globally-agreed target levels could prevent more than 37 million premature deaths over 15 years, from the four main … Continue reading →

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Global trends and projections for causes of death: implications for longevity

Posted on May 2, 2014 by colinmathers

Since 1990, global life expectancy has increased 3 years per decade. Life expectancy at older ages for both sexes has also increased, particularly since 1970, in many developed countries. This trend is most striking in data from my own country … Continue reading →

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Road deaths in developing countries projected to nearly double by 2030

Posted on January 27, 2014 by colinmathers

WHO estimates that the number of deaths globally will reach nearly 2m a year by 2030, up from 1.3m now, according to estimates and projections I prepared for the Global Status Report on Road Safety 2013 with the Violence and … Continue reading →

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H-index and age: a new criterion for success?

Posted on January 27, 2014 by colinmathers

The H-index is a measure of scientific research output defined as the number h of publications that have been cited h times or more ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-index). Thus an H-index of 10 indicates that 10 publications have been cited 10 times … Continue reading →

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Global cancer cases and deaths

Posted on January 27, 2014 by colinmathers

In mid-December, IARC released latest estimates of incidence and mortality for 28 types of cancer in 184 countries in GLOBOCAN 2012 v1.0, Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide. (Ferlay, Soerjomataram, Ervik, Dikshit, Eser, Mathers, Rebelo, Parkin, Forman and Bray). According to … Continue reading →

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Its a small world – Erdös, Bacon and other numbers

Posted on January 26, 2014 by colinmathers

Just for fun, mathematicians like to quote their degrees of published separation from Paul Erdös, one of the most prolific modern writers of mathematical papers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erd%C5%91s_number). So one day when I needed a break from work, I thought I would … Continue reading →

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World Health Statistics

Posted on January 25, 2014 by colinmathers

World Health Statistics is the flagship statistical publication of the World Health Organization released annually in May at the time of the World Health Assembly. Compiled by my Unit, it is the definitive source of information on the health of … Continue reading →

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