Dear WSO member and anti-stroke campaigner,
We strongly urge you to demonstrate leadership in global health by pledging to personally attend the United Nations High-level Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) on 19-20 September 2011.
This meeting is an historic opportunity to address the global epidemic of NCDs, comprised primarily of cardiovascular diseases, including stroke but also cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease. An estimated 36 million people were killed by NCDs in 2008. This is equivalent to over 60 per cent of all deaths worldwide.
Every six seconds, regardless of age or gender, a sister, brother, wife, husband, daughter, son, partner, mother, father or friend will die from a stroke. Stroke is the second leading cause of death for people above the age of 60, and the fifth leading cause in people aged 15 to 59. Stroke also attacks children, including newborns. Each year, nearly six million people die from stroke. In fact, stroke is responsible for more deaths every year than those attributed to AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria put together – three diseases which have set the benchmark for successful public health advocacy, capturing the attention of the world’s media and which consequently has provoked world leaders, governments and many sectors of civil society to act.
As described by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, NCDs are a "public health emergency in slow motion". The World Economic Forum's 2010 Global Risks Report identifies NCDs as the second most severe threat to the global economy in terms of likelihood and potential economic loss and a global risk equal in cost to the current global financial crisis.
We would be grateful for your consideration of the following in order to ensure a successful Summit:
I. Support civil society representation in the official government delegation to the Summit.
II. Ensure that the meeting produces an outcomes document with strong recommendations and concrete
time bound targets, as outlined in the attached NCD Alliance Priority Language. This should include:
- supporting civil society representation in the official government delegation to the Summit
- ensuring that the meeting produces an outcomes document with strong recommendations
and concrete time bound targets. This should include:
(a) Acknowledgement of the health, social and economic burden of NCDs in the world,
particularly in low- and middle-income countries
(b) An increase in international development funds and technical assistance earmarked for
stroke prevention, treatment and to the care and support of stroke survivors
(c) Measures that address the availability and affordability of quality medicines and
technologies to ensure that stroke survivors can access life-saving treatments and
appropriate rehabilitation leading to quality care and support.
(d) Agreement to a global accountability in the fight against stroke by monitoring, reporting,
and follow-up mechanism for the Summit.
We would be pleased to work with you in making the most out of this opportunity. Join us in putting the fight against stroke on the global public health agenda.
United, we will win the fight against stroke !
We thank you for your support.
Yours sincerely,
Bo Norrving, MD, PhD, FESO Markku Kaste, MD, PhD, FAHA, FESO
President Chair, World Stroke Campaign Committee
World Stroke Organization World Stroke Organization
Geneva, Switzerland Geneva, Switzerland
Stroke is a subject that is heavily researched. A list of current abstracts / research / articles is listed below: