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World
Health Day: Raising high blood pressure awareness
Women's Institute for Leadership Development
April 05, 2013
7 April 2013
marks World Health Day. It is a day set aside to celebrate the founding
of the World Health Organization in 1948. Each year, the theme highlights
a priority area of public health concern in the world and this year’s
theme is Raising High Blood Pressure Awareness.
The ultimate
goal for this year is to reduce heart attacks and strokes by raising
greater awareness while promoting healthy behaviours. High Blood
Pressure also known as hypertension is considered to be a silent
killer, whose symptoms are often unidentifiable till late.
High Blood Pressure
is generally asymptomatic but in some cases people experience headaches,
blurred vision and swollen feet. It is advisable that people go
for check-ups as often as possible.
According to
the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, one in every four Zimbabweans
suffers from High Blood Pressure and heart disease. Research has
also shown that it is more common in women especially black African
women.
The Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Hon. Henry Madzorera,
pledged to embark on a vigorous campaign on non-communicable diseases
in the country. “We have been focusing on disadvantaged communities
and vulnerable groups countrywide, with particular attention on
populations migrating from rural to urban centres,” said Madzorera.
Some of the
causes of hypertension are diets that include too much salty or
oily food, obesity, stress/depression, diabetes, pregnancy and sometimes
it is hereditary or genetic.
According to
a pharmacist at Medi-Link Pharmacy in Bulawayo, the best message
when it comes to hypertension is “prevention is better than
cure”. He also encourages a healthy life style to prevent
it, such as regular exercise, healthy diet and weight control.
Most pharmacies
around the country offer High Blood Pressure checking facilities
and they help one calculate their appropriate weight using the Body
Mass Index (BMI).
WILD encourages
all women to make use of these facilities in hospitals and pharmacies
and help prevent hypertension. If not detected early it can be fatal.
Invest in eating and living healthy. Also, regular exercise keeps
the doctor away.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
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