Millions of avoidable deaths arising from the COVID-19 pandemic emphasise the need for epidemic-ready primary health care aligned with public health to identify and stop outbreaks, maintain essential services during disruptions, strengthen population resilience, and ensure health worker and patient safety. The improvement in health security from epidemic-ready primary health care is a strong argument for increased political support and can expand primary health-care capacities to improve detection, vaccination, treatment, and coordination with public health—needs that became more apparent during the pandemic.

Clear, universal performance standards for outbreak detection, reporting and control can improve accountability, save lives, and accelerate global readiness for future pandemics. For The Lancet’s Viewpoint, experts from Resolve to Save Lives propose 7-1-7 as a global target for timely response to infectious disease outbreaks: detecting a suspected outbreak within 7 days, reporting and initiating a response within 1 day, and mounting an effective early response within 7 days.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally, accounting for one in every three deaths,with nearly half of deaths in lower-income countries among people younger than 70 years. WHO has identified the elimination of industrially produced trans fat (an artificial product contained in partially hydrogenated oils) from the food supply as an effective and cost-effective intervention to prevent cardiovascular disease. Industrially produced trans fat causes an estimated 540 000 deaths each year worldwide. This chemical is toxic to people even at low levels of intake: trans fat clogs arteries and increases the risk of myocardial infarction and death. There

Improved hypertension control can save millions of lives, but mass hypertension screening, a commonly used approach, is a barrier to progress. Although politically appealing, mass screening diverts resources from improving services in primary health care.

Hypertension kills more people than any other condition; approximately 80% of deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Only about 1 in 5 adults with hypertension worldwide and less than 1 in 10 in LMICs have their condition controlled. Adherence to antihypertensive medications increases control and decreases hospitalizations, strokes, heart attacks, and health care costs. Eliminating patient copayments for antihypertensive medications increases adherence and hypertension control. This powerful but underutilized strategy can advance universal health coverage and reduce economic hardship. Medication access with no out-of-pocket cost to patients is feasible and economically sound, but requires increased investment and careful

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) cause three-fourths of the world’s deaths, with the number continuing to increase. More than 40% of NCD deaths are among people younger than 70 years, and the NCD epidemic is driven by preventable factors such as uncontrolled hypertension, tobacco and alcohol use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, air pollution, and limited health care access. Despite their massive toll on health and economies, NCDs remain underfunded, receiving only about 2% of development assistance for health.

Objective Implement a user-centred digital health information system to facilitate rapidly and substantially increasing the number of patients treated for hypertension in low/middle-income countries. Methods User-centred design of Simple, an offline-first app for mobile devices to record patient clinical visits and a web-based dashboard to monitor programme performance.

High blood pressure is the world's leading modifiable risk factor for preventable mortality, causing more than 10 million deaths per year, more than the number of deaths from all infectious diseases combined. Sodium reduction has the potential to prevent millions of cardiovascular events and deaths, primarily through reducing blood pressure, and tested, scalable approaches exist to reduce sodium in commercially processed packaged foods. However, implementation has been limited by two problems: (a) academic controversy, with a few vocal authors mistakenly suggesting that low levels of sodium can increase cardiovascular mortality, and (b) the challenges of implementing population-wide sodium reduction interventions.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the world’s leading causes of death and disability, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounting for half of NCD deaths. An ambitious global target established by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – indicator 3.4.1 – aims to reduce the risk of premature death among people aged 30–69 years from CVD, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lung disease by one third by 2030. This article reviews the science and practice informing what is required to achieve this target, identifying seven interventions that can accelerate progress: 1) tobacco control; 2) treatment to reduce cardiovascular risk; 3) reduction of dietary sodium;

High blood pressure is the world's leading cause of death, but despite treatment for hypertension being safe, effective, and low cost, most people with hypertension worldwide do not have it controlled. This article summarizes lessons learned in the first 2 years of the Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) hypertension management program, operated in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners. Better diagnosis, treatment, and continuity of care are all needed to improve control rates, and five necessary components have been recommended by RTSL, WHO and other partners as being essential for a successful hypertension control program.