As World Stroke Day is marked globally today, the Stroke Action Nigeria, a health advocacy organization has called on Nigerians, to embrace healthy living and shun habits that predispose them to stroke.
This is even as it reveals worrisome statistics that some 200,000 out of the over 200 million Nigerians, are affected by Stroke every year.
29th of October every year is marked as World Stroke Day, to enlighten survivors of the disease and the general public on Stroke advice, Information provision, prevention and well-being advocacy.
The theme for this year’s celebration is #Be Greater Than Stroke.
As part of activities to mark the global celebration, the Stroke Action Nigeria on Sunday, organized an awareness talk, with free medical test to some survivors of stroke in Onitsha.
Speaking during the exercise, the Founder of Stroke Action Nigeria, Rita Melifeonwu, who is also a Nurse Consultant in Stroke Rehabilitation, noted that stroke mortality rate is very high with a range of 21% – 45%.
According to her, at the Stroke Action Life After Stroke Centres in Nigeria, at least 18 referrals of stroke survivors discharged from hospital care are received each month and majority of the stroke survivors are of working age.
revealed that 90% of strokes could be prevented by action on a handful of manageable risk factors including high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat), smoking, diet, and exercise.
According to her, “this year, stroke continues to be the leading cause of death worldwide.
“The burden of disability after a stroke is also increasing globally and is higher in Africa.
“More young adults under the age of 55 years are having strokes. Each year over 12 million people have strokes worldwide.
“Many of the survivors end up with severe disability due to lack of stroke units and stroke rehabilitation services in the country.
“Most stroke survivors in Nigeria remain unemployed and are unable to maintain their livelihoods.
“This year’s campaign theme is meant to empower Nigerians to the realization that stroke prevention is possible,” she said.
Melifeonwu revealed that the Stroke Action Nigeria is currently working with Philips Foundation and the Organized Stroke Care Across Income Levels (OSCAIL), to carry out a randomized control trial to evaluate the impact of its Life After Stroke Centre.
“The research will be completed in 2024 and results may contribute to benefits of community-based life after stroke centres in Nigeria and Africa,” she said.
Melifeonwu, who is also a Member of World Stroke Campaign Committee and Board member, World Stroke Organization, said her organization is mobilising stroke stakeholders nationally and globally to drive awareness and action on stroke prevention and management in Nigeria.
She said; “Stroke Action is a member of the Federal Ministry of Health’s NCD expert technical working group that developed the Multisectoral Action Plan (MSAP) on the Control and Prevention of NCDs in Nigeria.
“For the first time in Nigeria, an NCD policy have a stroke mention. Our hospitals and primary healthcare centres should use the MSAP to help facilitate stroke surveillance and prevention.
“At the World Stroke Congress 2023 just completed last week in Toronto, Canada, the collaborative World Stroke Organization – Lancet Neurology Commission published its ‘Pragmatic solutions to reduce the global burden of strokes’.
“They forecast the burden of stroke from 2020 – 2050 and project that stroke mortality will increase by 50% from 6.6 million in 2020 to 9.7 million in 2050.
“As a result of their assessments, they identified and prioritized several key recommendations based on the four pillars of the stroke quadrangle of: surveillance, prevention, acute care and rehabilitation.”
For her part, a public health physician at Federal Medical Centre, FMC Asaba, Dr Anastasia Ojimba, downplayed the insinuation of many that Stroke is being caused by Witchcraft.
According to her, people are exposed to the disease as a result of their habits and other factors.
Also, an associate professor of Nursing Science at Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka, Dr Clementina Nwankwo also stressed that what an individual eats and drinks may also determine whether they are placing themselves at risk of suffering a stroke.
Some Stroke survivors, who spoke to our correspondent, hailed the organizers for their initiatives, lamenting the high cost of drugs for the brain attack.
