Colombia

With a majority of the world’s population now living in urban settings, cities are uniquely positioned to transform the fight against noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries by implementing policies to significantly reduce exposure to risk factors. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the transformative role of urban public health leadership to save lives.

As many as 800 million children globally have unsafe blood lead levels according to the World Health Organization. Vital Strategies’ Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention program was launched with the government of Peru to support ongoing lead poisoning surveillance, raise public awareness about key sources of lead exposure, and improve regulation of lead in consumer products. The program recently expanded to Indonesia where we are partnering with UNICEF and Pure Earth to update the nation’s clinical guidance for lead exposure in children and conduct a comprehensive assessment of lead policies and stakeholders.

Advances in systems thinking, demography and technology mean that for the first time, counting every human life is possible, even in remote areas.