Think about why you vaccinate your child. Your child is healthy, not suffering from tuberculosis, measles, polio, diphtheria, or any other infectious disease. Yet you willingly take your child to a health facility, allow  to receive a vaccine, and return for subsequent doses.

Why? Because you understand one fundamental principle of healthcare, that prevention is better than waiting for disease to occur. Vaccination has become a normal and accepted part of responsible child care because we understand that protecting health before illness occurs is far better than treating disease after it develops.

But if we understand this principle so well for infectious diseases, why do we often forget it when it comes to non-communicable diseases (NCDs)?Prevention Begins Early

Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, obesity, chronic kidney disease, chronic respiratory diseases, and several cancers do not usually appear suddenly. Their roots may develop silently over years, often beginning with habits formed during childhood and adolescence. We do not need to be overweight before we learn about healthy eating. We do not........

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