Literature update ViVa week 39-2026

1. ASEAN’s mortality divide: Shared causes, unequal chances of survival Summary: Using Global Burden of Disease 2023 estimates, investigators analyzed life expectancy, premature mortality, causes of death, and attributable risks across 11 ASEAN member states from 1990–2023. In 2023, life expectancy was 70.1 years for males and 76.2 years for females, but ranged from 62.1 years among males in Myanmar to 87.5 years among females in Singapore. Neonatal disorders dominated infant deaths; injuries—including drowning and road traffic injuries—were major causes through adolescence and young adulthood. Infectious diseases, including vaccine-preventable infections, remained important in childhood and selected adult groups, while stroke, ischemic heart disease, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease dominated later life. Tobacco and high blood pressure were leading adult risks. Comment: The study makes ASEAN’s inequities unmistakable: countries increasingly share mortality profiles, but not health outcomes. Preventing neonatal deaths, injuries, and infectious diseases—including through stronger routine immunization, maternal care, and surveillance—must proceed alongside NCD...