World Heart Day is observed annually on 29 September to encourage governments and health organizations to join the global call to raise awareness of heart health and accelerate action to prevent, detect and control cardiovascular disease.
As the World Health Organization (WHO) explains on its website, the organization’s Southeast Asia region is home to a quarter of the world’s population. The region experiences a very high burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) cause 3.9 million deaths annually, accounting for 30% of all deaths.
According to WHO, it is alarming that almost half (48%) of these cardiovascular disease-related deaths occurred prematurely, affecting people aged 30 to 70 years and imposing a significant socio-economic burden on families, communities and countries .
“The main causes of the burden of cardiovascular disease include modifiable lifestyle factors such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets, especially high salt intake, and lack of physical activity,” they emphasize.
Trigger factors
High blood pressure and high blood glucose are key factors and can be detected, diagnosed and treated appropriately in primary care. One in four adults in the region suffers from high blood pressure. while one in ten suffers from diabetes, and less than 15% have effective treatment coverage.
Moreover, elevated blood lipid levels and suboptimal treatment of acute cardiovascular events further worsen cardiovascular mortality.
In response to this public health importance, NCDs have been identified as the region’s flagship priority since 2014. In 2022, the region adopted the Implementation Roadmap for Accelerating the Prevention and Control of NCDs in Southeast Asia 2022–2030.
The prevalence of tobacco use in the region is decreasing due to the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand have taken steps to eliminate trans fatty acids from their national food supplies, which could benefit more than 1.7 billion people.
Several countries in the region, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Timor-Leste, have set national targets to improve the control of hypertension and diabetes in primary health care by 2025, in line with the SEAHEARTS initiative to accommodate 100 million people with hypertension and/or diabetes as part of protocol treatment by 2025.
India’s goal of covering 75 million people with hypertension and diabetes with standard care by 2025 is the largest primary health care coverage of NCDs in the world.
Accelerating the fight against cardiovascular disease is a priority, and the WHO South-East Asia Region is calling for action in four key areas:
First, countries must put cardiovascular disease at the top of their agenda and scale up their efforts through commitment and leadership at both the policy and program levels.
Second, continue to implement evidence-based tobacco control laws in accordance with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and its MPOWER package in all countries.
Third, promote healthy diets with a particular focus on reducing salt and eliminating trans fatty acids through the implementation of the WHO SHAKE and WHO REPLACE technical packages.
Fourth, expand programs and service delivery models that improve detection, diagnosis, and treatment of hypertension and diabetes in primary care through referral mechanisms. Keep reading:
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Source: La Opinion
Alfred Hart is an accomplished journalist known for his expert analysis and commentary on global affairs. He currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker, where he provides readers with in-depth coverage of the most pressing issues affecting the world today. With a keen insight and a deep understanding of international politics and economics, Alfred’s writing is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the world we live in.