ABSTRACT : There are 15 million people worldwide who suffer a stroke each year. According to the World
Health Organization (WHO), stroke is the second leading cause of death for people above the age of 60 years,
and the fifth leading cause in people aged 15 to 59 years old. Each year, nearly six million people worldwide
die from stroke.
One in six people worldwide will have a stroke in their lifetime. Every six seconds, stroke kills
some. Stroke claims more than twice as many lives as AIDS.
In fact, stroke continues to be responsible for more
deaths annually than those attributed to AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.
The burden of stroke now
disproportionately affects individuals living in resource-poor countries.
Stroke, as a burden of disease, still
remains little understood. Enhanced advocacy and sustained public health education at the global level must be
undertaken. To date, stroke education and the delivery of the best possible care for stroke survivors needs to be
put higher up on the public health agenda.
A passive attitude towards stroke is no longer justifiable: stroke can
be potentially prevented to a large extent, and acute stroke is potentially treatable. Notwithstanding, there is
much more that can be done to improve the quality of life for people who have suffered from a stroke. Without
coordinated effort on the part of the international public health community, stroke will claim the lives of up to
6.5 million people each year by 2015, according to the World Stroke Organization.
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