World Health Day - control your blood pressure
World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April to mark the anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948. Each year a theme is selected for World Health Day that highlights a priority area of public health concern in the world.
The theme for 2013 is High blood pressure.
High blood pressure increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. However, hypertension is treatable and preventable.
The theme for 2013 is High blood pressure.
High blood pressure increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. However, hypertension is treatable and preventable.
2 April, New Delhi: The World Health
Organization is raising the alarm about high blood pressure on World Health Day
2013. High blood pressure or hypertension kills nearly
1.5 million people every year in South-East Asia making it the
single-most important risk factor for non communicable diseases like heart
attack and stroke. Between 2011 and 2015 the
cumulative loss in productivity associated with noncommunicable diseases in
low- and middle-income countries is projected to be US$ 7.3 trillion.
Most of these deaths can be prevented through
healthy lifestyles, early detection and treatment. Hypertension is a silent
killer because many people do not realize that they have it or are reluctant to
start treatment on time, putting them at risk of complications. It is treatable
through lifestyle changes and medication. Preventing high blood pressure must
be a public health, social, economic and development priority. This is only
possible through political will and increased public awareness.
“Every individual has the power to prevent
high blood pressure by adopting a healthy lifestyle - eating a balanced diet,
reducing salt, regular exercise, avoiding harmful use of alcohol, quitting tobacco and checking their blood pressure
regularly,” said Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO Regional Director for South-East
Asia. “Governments need to create health promoting environments that enable
people to adopt healthy lifestyles. Regulations need to be in place to decrease
the amount of salt in packaged food and make healthier foods affordable and
accessible,” he added.
Preventing, detecting and treating
hypertension early is cheaper than interventions such as cardiac bypass surgery
or dialysis that may be needed if the condition is diagnosed late.
Acknowledging this as a serious global issue,
in September 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Political
Declaration of the High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of
Non-communicable Diseases, and committed governments to a series of
actions. Member States have agreed to
nine global targets for prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases,
which include reducing the prevalence of hypertension by 25% by 2025.
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