World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan warned on Monday that squeezed funds and rise of chronic non-communicable disease were "two danger zones" for the world public health development.

"In these difficult financial times, I see an extremely dangerous tendency to measure how much health can be bought for a given amount of money," Chan made the remarks when addressing the 65th World Health Assembly, held from Monday to Saturday, adding this can be dangerous, especially for a disease like HIV/AIDS.

Chan said that the lack of funds might mean that the UN goal in fight against diseases like HIV/AIDS be missed.

"We have good reason to believe that the UN target of having 15 million people on treatment by 2015 will not be met," she said.

Chan also stressed that non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular disease and diabetes would cast "the longest dark shadow" over progress in global health.

WHO data showed that rates of obesity nearly doubled in every region of the world from 1980 to 2008. Worldwide, one in three adults has raised blood pressure, while one in 10 adults has diabetes.

She pledged that the WHO is giving the prevention and control of these diseases the utmost priority.

"These are the diseases that can cancel out the gains of modernization and development," she said.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet