WHO calls for urgent action on neurological care

GENEVA - Neurological conditions affect more than 40 percent of the global population, or over 3 billion people, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

The growing burden of neurological disorders is responsible for over 11 million deaths globally each year, according to WHO's "Global status report on neurology" released Tuesday.

Less than one in three countries around the world has a national policy to address the growing burden of neurological disorders, warns the WHO.

The top 10 neurological conditions contributing to death and disability as of 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, idiopathic epilepsy, neurological complications linked to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorders, and cancers of the nervous system, it said.

Low-income countries have more than 80 times fewer neurologists compared to high-income nations despite the high burden of these diseases, said the WHO, adding that many low- and middle-income countries lack national plans, budgets, and workforce.