Today I am in Moscow where, in partnership with the Russian Ministry for Health, we we have held the first ever World Stroke Day Congress. This event is just one of hundreds of activities taking place in honour of World Stroke Day. From Singapore to Sao Paolo, events and activities are taking place on the streets and in government buildings to raise awareness of stroke and prevention. This is urgent and necessary work. Every 2 seconds someone in the world has a stroke. We have no time to spare.
In low and middle-income countries stroke has reached epidemic proportions, with evidence showing that younger people are increasingly at risk. This is particularly devastating in these countries where resources for healthcare and social support is scarce.
In high-income countries, where the incidence of strokes has gone down, access to treatments and an ageing population means that - while more people survive – many are living with significant disabilities and long-term support needs. Last year stroke accounted for 116 million years of life lived with disability.
Regardless of age, or where a person lives the impact of stroke on individuals and families is enormous. The pressure on healthcare services and economies is unsustainable.
We all have good reasons to prevent stroke and the good news is that stroke prevention is possible if we take individual and collective steps. 90% of strokes are linked to just 10 risk factors that we can all do something about. Use today to get informed about risks and prevention and join with us to make sure that stroke gets the attention and resources it deserves. Help us deliver a world free from stroke.
Thank you for being part of World Stroke Day!
Prof Werner Hacke, President, World Stroke Organization
