Dementia, which robs people of their “memories, independence and dignity”, is on the rise worldwide but few countries are equipped to fight it, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Thursday.
In a report, the WHO said dementia, caused by a variety of diseases and injuries that affect the brain such as Alzheimer’s or stroke, affects more than 55 million people in what has become a “global public health concern.”
That figure is set to rise to 78 million by 2030 and 139 million by 2050 as the population grows older.
Yet only a quarter of countries worldwide have a national strategy for supporting people with dementia and their…
