World Stroke Day
Encyclopedia
World Stroke Day is observed on October 29 to underscore the serious nature and high rates of stroke
, raise awareness of the prevention and treatment of the condition, and ensure better care and support for survivors. On this day, organizations around the world have facilitated events emphasizing education, testing, and initiatives to improve the damaging effects of stroke worldwide. The annual event was started in 2006 by the World Stroke Organization (WSO). The WSO declared a public health emergency in 2010. The WSO now has an ongoing campaign that serves as a year-round interface for advocacy, policy, and outreach to support strides and continue progress made on World Stroke Day.
The theme for World Stroke Day 2007 was “Stroke is a treatable and preventable catastrophe and hypertension is its most common and treatable factor.” The theme for World Stroke Day 2008 was “Little strokes, big trouble.”
In 2009, WSO leadership turned the day into a year-round campaign to sustain efforts at prevention and awareness raising. The first such campaign was entitled “Stroke, what can I do?," asking individuals to examine what they could do about stroke. As part of the campaign, the WSO included a competition to create a message related to the theme. The 2009 winner was the National Stroke Association of Sri Lanka, which organized a series of media conferences, promotional materials, and training programs.
In 2010, the WSO launched the “1 in 6” campaign to emphasize that one in six people will have a stroke within their lifetime and encourage them to learn about their risk factors.
Advocacy also plays a major role in the campaign. The association relies on the support of well-known personalities to advance its cause. To that end, WSO has brought in several goodwill ambassadors, Indian actress Rani Mukerji
, former Miss Egypt
Dalia El Behery
, and cyclist Alberto Contador
, to help educate people about the prevention and treatment of stroke.
The World Stroke Campaign Committee consists of the following experts:
On World Stroke Day 2010 forty-eight countries participated. The Indian Stroke Association announced its decision to sponsor two hundred ‘Stroke Units,’ or centers across India that will be equipped to treat strokes. A Malawian nurse wrote an article describing the campaign, hoping to spread awareness of the disease to Malawi. In the United States, the American Heart Association
developed the My-Life Check online health assessment in cooperation with WSO.
World Stroke Day 2011 received increased response in the media. Media included coverage in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, and other languages. The day gained recognition across various fields like health, business, and technology and in publications such as the International Herald Tribune. WSD also received special attention in Brazil as the Minister of Health created a video in recognition of the day. Additionally, players from Brazilian football clubs Ceará and Flu wore shirts and carried signs, in a match attended by President Vargas, in support of stroke awareness. World Stroke Day 2011 drew global response through both the WSD Twitter and WSD Facebook
The campaign focused on the 1 in 6 campaign headline from 2010, in 2011 the campaign expanded to focus on the many actors in stroke. Following a three-point campaign on prevention, short and long term care, and support. The campaign relied heavily on the use of social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. It also had direct contact with previous participants of World Stroke Day and personal contributors to the website.
To update the WSC website on current activities about World Stroke Day visit http://forms.worldstrokecampaign.org/2011/notification/form.asp
To follow more on World Stroke Day 2011 and other WSC initiatives, check in with the WSO at
http://www.worldstrokecampaign.org/2011/Pages/Home.aspx
http://www.facebook.com/worldstrokecampaign
http://twitter.com/#!/WStrokeCampaign/status/477438429626368
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, raise awareness of the prevention and treatment of the condition, and ensure better care and support for survivors. On this day, organizations around the world have facilitated events emphasizing education, testing, and initiatives to improve the damaging effects of stroke worldwide. The annual event was started in 2006 by the World Stroke Organization (WSO). The WSO declared a public health emergency in 2010. The WSO now has an ongoing campaign that serves as a year-round interface for advocacy, policy, and outreach to support strides and continue progress made on World Stroke Day.
History
Stroke has been and continues to be a widespread disease worldwide, afflicting over 15 million people each year. Of those 15 million, almost six million die and a further five million are left permanently disabled. A new person suffers a stroke every six seconds. The idea to create a day of awareness began in the 1990s with the European Stroke Initiative. Due to financial limitations, however, the effort was limited only to Europe. The European Stroke Organization continued the project, and celebrates its awareness day on May 10. The WSO World Stroke Day began in 2004 at the World Stroke Congress in Vancouver, Canada. Under the direction of Dr. Vladimir Hachinski, a working group was formed, which was incorporated into a World Stroke Proclamation in October 2006. Around the same time, the International Stroke Society and the World Stroke Federation merged to form the World Stroke Organization, which took over the management of World Stroke Day.The theme for World Stroke Day 2007 was “Stroke is a treatable and preventable catastrophe and hypertension is its most common and treatable factor.” The theme for World Stroke Day 2008 was “Little strokes, big trouble.”
In 2009, WSO leadership turned the day into a year-round campaign to sustain efforts at prevention and awareness raising. The first such campaign was entitled “Stroke, what can I do?," asking individuals to examine what they could do about stroke. As part of the campaign, the WSO included a competition to create a message related to the theme. The 2009 winner was the National Stroke Association of Sri Lanka, which organized a series of media conferences, promotional materials, and training programs.
In 2010, the WSO launched the “1 in 6” campaign to emphasize that one in six people will have a stroke within their lifetime and encourage them to learn about their risk factors.
Advocacy also plays a major role in the campaign. The association relies on the support of well-known personalities to advance its cause. To that end, WSO has brought in several goodwill ambassadors, Indian actress Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji is an Indian film actress who works in Hindi movies. In the course of her film career, she has received six Filmfare Awards, among twelve nominations....
, former Miss Egypt
Miss Egypt
Miss Egypt, is an Egyptian beauty pageant that qualifies delegates to international beauty contests. The first Miss Egypt contest was held in 1929. The only winner that held the title of Miss World was Antigone Costanda in 1954. The pageant has been sponsored by the hair care company, Pantene...
Dalia El Behery
Dalia El Behery
Dalia El Behery , Egyptian actress. She won the 1990 title of Miss Egypt, also won 27 place the Miss Universe pageant in Los Angeles in the same year.-Biography:...
, and cyclist Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
, to help educate people about the prevention and treatment of stroke.
The World Stroke Campaign Committee consists of the following experts:
- Markku Kaste (Chair), University of HelsinkiUniversity of HelsinkiThe University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
, Finland - Erin Lalor, National Stroke Foundation, Australia
- Bo Norrving, Lund UniversityLund UniversityLund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
, Sweden - Jeyaraj D. Pandian, Christian Medical CollegeChristian Medical College & HospitalChristian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore is one of the largest medical centres in India. This century-old Christian institution was founded by Ida S...
, India - Wendy Segrest, American Heart Association/American Stroke AssociationAmerican Heart AssociationThe American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
, US.
Responses
Both media and professional organizations worldwide have participated in World Stroke Day. In 2009, eighteen countries participated in WSD activities. Among them were Sri Lanka, Australia, which created the "StrokeSafe" awards, Saudi Arabia, which organized a week of public education activities, and Brazil, where healthcare professionals distributed educational materials in a public square. Also in 2009, the Mongolian Stroke Association was formed in response to increasing levels of stroke in the country and joined the WSO in 2010.On World Stroke Day 2010 forty-eight countries participated. The Indian Stroke Association announced its decision to sponsor two hundred ‘Stroke Units,’ or centers across India that will be equipped to treat strokes. A Malawian nurse wrote an article describing the campaign, hoping to spread awareness of the disease to Malawi. In the United States, the American Heart Association
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
developed the My-Life Check online health assessment in cooperation with WSO.
World Stroke Day 2011 received increased response in the media. Media included coverage in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, and other languages. The day gained recognition across various fields like health, business, and technology and in publications such as the International Herald Tribune. WSD also received special attention in Brazil as the Minister of Health created a video in recognition of the day. Additionally, players from Brazilian football clubs Ceará and Flu wore shirts and carried signs, in a match attended by President Vargas, in support of stroke awareness. World Stroke Day 2011 drew global response through both the WSD Twitter and WSD Facebook
Current Activities
On World Stroke Day 2011, on the 29th October, the World Stroke campaign completed its first year of a full campaign. World Stroke Day 2011 was a huge success with over 2,000 participants from all over the world. It gained recognition from over 20 online publications in several languages. The global reach of World Stroke Day 2011 was a step up from 2010 as increased participation came from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.The campaign focused on the 1 in 6 campaign headline from 2010, in 2011 the campaign expanded to focus on the many actors in stroke. Following a three-point campaign on prevention, short and long term care, and support. The campaign relied heavily on the use of social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. It also had direct contact with previous participants of World Stroke Day and personal contributors to the website.
To update the WSC website on current activities about World Stroke Day visit http://forms.worldstrokecampaign.org/2011/notification/form.asp
Outreach
Beyond World Stroke Day, the World Stroke Campaign continues to serve as a source for activism and policy resources worldwide.Through advances in research, and communications at the international level, WSC strives to promote advocacy towards making stroke less of a global threat. The 1 in 6 campaign initiative concluding in 2012 hopes to provide as much crutial information about preventing stroke and important lifestyle changes that could greatly reduce the risk of stroke attacks.To follow more on World Stroke Day 2011 and other WSC initiatives, check in with the WSO at
http://www.worldstrokecampaign.org/2011/Pages/Home.aspx
http://www.facebook.com/worldstrokecampaign
http://twitter.com/#!/WStrokeCampaign/status/477438429626368