Every two seconds one person under 70 dies of a non-communicable disease (NCD), the majority of them in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), according to a new report by the UN health agency. The World Health Organization (WHO) study released Wednesday said LMICs account for 86 percent of these premature deaths, most of which could be avoided or delayed if people had access to prevention, treatment and care. The diseases pose one of the greatest health and development challenges of the century but they are overlooked and underfunded, according to the WHO report "Invisible numbers: the true extent of noncommunicable diseases and what to do about them." Read: Animal-to-human diseases rise in Africa: WHO