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Global Stroke Action Coalition
Working together to drive bold and urgent action on stroke.
The Global Stroke Action Coalition is a WSO-convened collaborative and strategic alliance, that aims to harness the collectve energy and expertise of partners to drive urgent and specific action on stroke The Coalition vision is reduced impact of stroke for everyone, everywhere - delivered through evidence-based policy action. Our shared mission is to drive urgent commitment, investment and action in stroke prevention, treatment and continuing care.
Why stroke?
Stroke ia too often overlooked in global health policy
- Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and the third leading cause of disability
- 1 in 4 people will suffer a stroke in their lifetime
- Every year there are 12 million new strokes and 7 million stroke-related deaths.
- 2 out of 3 stroke survivors are affected by long-term disabilities.
- 94 million people are living with the effects of stroke worldwide
- 1 in 5 will have a recurrent stroke within 5 years.
- These aren’t just elderly populations. 15% of people have a stroke before the age of 50.
- As these numbers show, stroke is a major global health challenge that affects people across different age groups and in every corner of the world, with individual and societal impact.
- The difficulty is that burden and impact of stroke is often misunderstood, and its impact overshadowed by a broader focus on CVD and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
- As a result, efforts to address stroke are often incorporated into broader NCD strategies.
- Few countries have developed a dedicated National Stroke Action Plan or allocated the necessary resources for its implementation.
- Major gaps and disparities exist in and across borders when it comes to accessing preventive, treatment and rehabilitative services for stroke.
Reducing the human and economic cost of stroke
Stroke has a devastating human and economic impact. Numbers are rising and recurrence rates remain too high.
If we do not act on stroke:
- the number of lives lost is set to increase from 7 to 9.7 million by 2050 (50%).
- disability-adjusted life years are expected to increase from 144.8 to 189.4 million (31%).
- the proportion of global stroke deaths in LMICs will rise from 86% to 91%.
Stroke affects not only individuals, but also their families and communities.
- Many family members take on the role of “carer” for stroke survivors.
- The cost of treatment and rehabilitative care and lost income can push many into poverty.
- Increased incidence in younger people impacts the care and well-being of their children.
- The broader economic impact also needs to be recognised, with stroke affecting workforce and broader economic productivity.
- In 2017, healthcare expenses associated with stroke were estimated to be as high as $315 billion with an additional loss in income of $576 billion: $891 billion in total (0.66% of the global GDP).
- If left unchecked, this cost is expected to rise to almost double by 2050.
Our Call to Action
The moment has come to revolutionize stroke prevention, treatment, and post-stroke care. We have the power to make change happen.
- Recent advancements (in prevention, treatment and rehabilitation) equip us with the tools needed to help reduce the global stroke burden and improve the health outcomes and independence of stroke survivors.
- This progress will, in turn, lead to improvement in managing NCDs more broadly, and promoting health for all.
- With the upcoming UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs, we have a unique opportunity to act. You can find out more here www.strokeactioncoalition.org/our-call-to-action
Coalition Governance and Leadership
The Global Stroke Action Coalition was founded by the World Stroke Organization (WSO) as part of its global advocacy function. As the only global stroke focused civil society organization in official consultative relations with the UN ECOSOC and official partnership with the World Health Organization, WSO is uniquely positioned to convene a strategic global advocacy alliance.
The Coalition Leadership Group consists of regional and national stroke society members and provides strategic oversight and decision-making. The Leadership Group also supports coordination across all coalition activities, and ensures that the Coalition's goals and activities align with and contribute to our collective mission.
Leadership Group Co-Chairs
Prof Bo Norrving, Lund University, Sweden. Bo has authored >300 clinical stroke research publications, including the world’s largest study of stroke in the young. As past-President of WSO and as the lead for WSO policy development with UN and WHO, he has been instrumental in embedding stroke treatments on the list of WHO essential medicines and devices. As an NCD Alliance Board Member, Bo has worked to build awareness of the shared prevention NCD prevention agenda, while highlighting the distinctive needs of stroke patients and opportunities to advance global progress by taking targeted action on the world’s third largest cause of death and disability.
Prof Sheila Martins, Universidade Federal of Rio Grande do Sul / Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre and Chief of Neurology and Neurosurgery of Hospital Moinhos de Vento and Immediate-Past President of WSO. As advisor of the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Brazil she started the organization and implementation of the country's National Stroke Policy and has leveraged her clinical research to drive policy change and improve access to stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation as part of the public healthcare system of her country.
Leadership Group Members
Dr Jeyaraj Pandian, WSO President: Mia Grupper, WSO Executive Director.
Representatives of American Stroke Association, Asia Pacific Stroke Organization, Chinese Stroke Association, European Stroke Organization, March of Dimes Canada, Stroke Association UK, Society for Vascular & Interventional Neurology..
Industry Partners:BI Angels Initiative, Bayer, Ipsen, Philips, Medtronic.
For more informtion visit: www.strokeactioncoalition.org
For the latest Coalition updates follow #StrokeActionNow on social channels
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Find out more about Coalition membership
This brochure sets out the aims of the Coaltion, levels of membership and fees for health and scientific society and industry organizations.
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