Public health officials from almost 200 nations are meeting in Geneva May 16-24, trying to devise strategies to address the many health problems that shorten life and diminish its quality for millions of people.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius is leading the U.S. delegation of about 25 to the World Health Assembly, which is the annual gathering for member states of the World Health Organization (WHO).

A major focus of the meeting will be WHO's first Global Status Report on Noncommunicable Diseases which found that diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and diabetes cause the greatest number of deaths each year – 63 percent of all deaths worldwide in 2008.