2024 World Heart Day launched

This year’s World Heart Day (WHD) campaign has been launched in Accra, with a call for increased awareness and focus on global action against cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

The campaign, which was launched by the National Cardiothoracic Centre, would run from 2024 to 2026, on the theme: "Use heart for action."

The aim of the campaign is to encourage people to take proactive steps towards heart health.

The programme would feature exercises, community engagements and cardiovascular screening drives.

In attendance were management members of the centre, staff of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital  and partners, including Boston Children’s Hospital, Wilmar and Awake Mineral Water.

Event

The World Heart Day was established in 2000, in partnership with the WHO, to mobilise international action and create awareness about cardiovascular diseases.

It became an annual event in 2011. And in 2020, a  #UseHeart” campaign was initiated to encourage individuals to be mindful of their heart health.

Every year, members of the World Heart Federation embarks on mass campaigns in schools, companies, churches, mosques, organisations and clubs to raise awareness, conduct heart health exercises, and also organises cardiovascular screening exercises.

Leading cause of death

A former Director of the National Cardiothoracic Centre, Dr Lawrence Sereboe, said cardiovascular disease (CVD) was the leading cause of death worldwide, claiming more than 20.5 million lives every year, with majority of the deaths in low and middle income countries like Ghana.

“Cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks, strokes and heart failure, remain a silent but deadly epidemic.

“But the good news is that 80 per cent of premature deaths from CVDs are preventable through lifestyle changes,” he added.

Policies

Dr Sereboe urged the government and stakeholders to influence policies, such as prioritisation of cardiovascular disease prevention.

“The time to take action on cardiovascular diseases is now. With insufficient ambulances and inadequate acute care, we should engage in more education about prevention of CVDs.

“Our goal from 2024 to 2026 is to engage communities to make deliberate efforts to prevent CVDs through lifestyle changes, and also push policymakers to implement national cardiovascular health action plans,” he added.

Dr Sereboe said although the heart was the body’s strongest muscle, it was also highly vulnerable, particularly to habits such as smoking, diabetes and high cholesterol.

“A compromised heart system often leads to cardiovascular diseases, and without taking action to mitigate risk factors, individuals increase their chances of developing heart-related issues,” he said.

Dr Sereboe, therefore, urged the public to adopt healthier habits.

He further said that children should not be left out of heart health discussions, adding “they also suffer from conditions that, if undiagnosed or untreated, can have lifelong consequences”.

Dr Sereboe said they had partnered the Department of Child Health to expand cardiovascular screenings to schools to enhance advocacy for child heart health.

He also urged schools, parents and healthcare providers to prioritise heart health in children, saying “education on healthy eating, exercises and avoiding alcohol and tobacco should start early”.