Lifestyle-related diseases The p;ittc,rns of morbidity and r YHH1ality lt~1V<s changr,d si Y,ni/ic:mtly. While infectious di,-,r;:1<;e,; r:11111i11 tu hr· tlw main t:iusr<; rif rn1,rbi<li1y, c-ardiov~ 1<;1·11l11r (!j,_,,:,~1·s. di:,betes mcllitu. s, c:,nc,J', 1111d chr,,n,c rc:sp,r:,torydisrc;;sc. s, the 'if>·C1. JIJ·d i1fc~tylc disca. scs. have become I he l1·:,cli11~ c;,11s<:s,,f d,;;,th,.. WI I() r,-..t11nal$ th Ht ho%,,r ;,JI dc:,th~ are tlue lo c:hrnni,· dis P:t S1,-., Eii~lity pcn;cnt (f$11%) o( L11csc· r,ecur in 11,w-;i11d rnit. ldl<:-incrime countri,~s lilw the l'hilippines (WI IIJ,. <rto. 5). By 21,2n, it i,-. t·~rirw,rc:d th:it 7~% >ftotal dc::tths will ht: 111trih11t1d tn the rnajr,r nnn-r-,,mmuni C'. ahlf di. <;r. :1s1<; (Wnrlrl I Jc;,lth /\sscmhly, 2004). l'coplc·s Ii festylc (rart iculnrly their unlicalt11y diet, sedenta ry work and Incl< of exercise) ha. o; hc~cn identified Ir, he: the rnojor rc11S()J1 why they dfo from the diseases which used to be associntc<l with c Jcvclopcd cnunlrics. Cnrdiov,)scul;,r disensc~ C<Jmprisc 25% of the lolol dcitlhs. Nine 17ilipinos die of cnrdi{lv:isc11l:,r dii,a,:1~a: every hour·. Di;ihclcs mcllitus, "·hich is rr~ardcd as "the biggest hc;. 11111 catasll'ophc th1c world has ever seen.. (C.,slillo. 200:3) is found in 4 out of 1-00 Filipinos. N,;t surprisi11~ly, nwre diabetics :ire found in ud,an areas (6. 8%) than in rural arc. il> (2. 5%) (FNJU). Ca nccr is I he most dreaded,,r 1111 disc. ises bec,111se of its very high case fa tali I:) r. ile and the lori,: suffering LJ1at patic11Ls expcr·icnce. The leading canc<. :r sitei; amonv; males arc: lung. liver. c:nlnn/rect11m. prostate, leukemia, stomach, nasoph. irynx. non-Hot. lgkin's lyrnrhnma, nrnl 1·nv11r :ind l:1rynx. 1\mnn~ fomalt'. :S, these arc: breast, cervb., colon/ r C'ct11m. luni;, ovary. thymitl. leukcmi H, Jiqr, ntems and,;tr,mnch. I Philippine Cancer Society. 2008). In ;iddition to lifestyle, a major factor in the 011i. ~a1ion of malignnnt nec,plasms is the drastic change in thr:, physic;nl envir1111meot nnd greater expr Jsure of people l O cl,cmicals (such as polychlorinatcd birhcnyls c>r r CBs), rndia1ion nnd other carcinogen ic s11bst<111ccs (Cone,:wus; Needleman and Landrigan. 1994). Infectious and commu nicable diseases t\lthuugh the m11nhcr of dc;iths £mm infectious dise. ases hns decre;1sed, many of these ar C'-;;Lill majnr puhlic health problems in the country Cholera and typhoid fe,·er is still a commrm m·r111-r Pn1p in m;my part<; nf tht. :: cow,Lry. Tit" number of panuylic shl'. llli~h pni:;cmini (more oommonly known ;is rnd Lide) continul!S to incrcas~ b~cause of 1hc rlcgrnclntion of the country's bodies of waler. In th,: pasl fc-w ycari,;, there were infcctinw; diseases lhal have emerged such as the :-;cnry severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). SA RS has highlighted the f;ict that the trn11smissio11 ofinfcctiou!' di!'eases is fn. cilit,1ted hy the increasing rhysical mobility of people and ease in u·. iveling frnm one country to unother. There is a steady increase. Llrougli relatively slow. in the number of HIV.. \b seropositive C!;l Ses in the count,·y-2,454 c.,ses rrom. January t982 to February 20. 06. HN/Af DS is no longer just associated with hmnose,,uality. Al >tml one-th, rd of the cases were O FWs (seafor·crs, dorneslic helpers. entertainers and heallh workers). About three-quarters (74'. )(,) were males. The mode of lraos,nission is prim;1rily (9:~%) throu~h sexual int ercoursc ( DO 1-1.. 2006). The inct·<asc in olhl:r sc-. ually tnmsmit1cd dis(ases (STDs) :;uch a,; :,-yphilis and gonorrhea is due tn u11 lrn mpcretl pro:-tituli<rn in many areas of the country. Prostitution hus nlways been identified as o,onsequcnce of poverty. STDs (and 1. hc nc"ly emerging disca;;c. :s) furthcr hurdcn the health care system which at the mome. ni coul<I nm cope adequately with the leading cnuse. s of morbidity aod mortality. 29 