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) and the WSO declared stroke 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 World Stroke Campaign's goodwill ambassadors include Indian Cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, former Miss Egypt Dalia El Behery and cyclist Alberto Contador.
History Stroke has been and continues to be a widespread disease worldwide, it is currently the single largest cause of disability and the second largest cause of death globally. In 2016 alone, stroke was responsible for 116 million days of life lost to death and disability. The individual lifetime risk of stroke is currently 1 in 4, and 5.5 million people will die each year. 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. WSO World Stroke Day on October 29 was established 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. In 2009, WSO leadership moved from a focus on a single awareness day, to a year-round campaign to build a more sustained approach to public awareness of key issues in stroke recognition and prevention and treatment. World Stroke Day continues to provide a focal point for the campaign with biennial themes which seek to draw attention to key issues in stroke prevention, treatment In 2010, the WSO launched the "1 in 6" campaign Archived 2010-10-28 at the Wayback Machine that would encompass future campaigns.
Past Campaigns
2007 Stroke is treatable The focus for World Stroke Day 2007 was "Stroke is a treatable and preventable catastrophe and hypertension is its most common and treatable factor."
2008 The theme for World Stroke Day 2008 was "Little strokes, big trouble."
2009 Stroke - what can I do? In 2009, WSO launched the World Stroke Campaign, a year-round approach that is intended to sustain efforts at stroke prevention and awareness globally. The campaign was entitled "Stroke, what can I do?," asking individuals to examine what they could do about stroke. It 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. Around eighteen countries participated in WSD activities. Among them were Sri Lanka and 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.
2010 - 1 in 6 In 2010, the "1 in 6" campaign Archived 2010-10-28 at the Wayback Machine was launched to emphasise that, at that time, the lifetime risk of stroke was 1 in 6. The campaign aimed to underline that stroke can happen to anyone, of any age and that everyone should take up the responsibility to learn more about stroke and to share stroke related information. Forty-eight countries participated in this extensive campaign. 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 World Stroke Organization.
2011 1 in 6 On World Stroke Day 2011, 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 with increased participation came from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. World Stroke Day 2011 received increased response in the media with coverage in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, and many 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
2012 - Because I care In 2012, the Slogan "Because I care… " was launched. The campaign asked people to commit to six stroke challenges:
Know your personal risk factors: high blood pressure, diabetes, and high blood cholesterol. Be physically active and exercise regularly. Maintain a healthy diet high in fruit and vegetable and low in salt to stay a healthy state and keep blood pressure low. Limit alcohol consumption. Avoid cigarette smoke. If you smoke, seek help to stop now. Learn to recognize the warning signs of a stroke and how to take action. 1st Prize: Neurology Department, University Hospital, Monterrey, Nuevo León, with an Urban and Rural Stroke Campaign. 2nd Prize: Brazilian Academy of Neurology/Brazilian Stroke Society with Brazilian Ministry of Health. 3rd. Prize: Mongolian Stroke Association.
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