World Health Day: Global health issues require cross-border collaboration
05.04.13
World Health Day marks the foundation of the World Health Organization (WHO) and raises awareness on select global health topics. The theme for this year’s World Health Day on April 7 points to an all-too-common problem: hypertension, or high blood pressure.
One in three adults worldwide has high blood pressure. It remains most persistent in low-income African countries, with more than 40 percent of adults affected in some countries. Often referred to as a “silent” or “invisible” killer because of its lack of obvious symptoms, high blood pressure is linked to serious, and sometimes fatal, health problems: It increases the risk of stroke, kidney failure, and heart attack, to name but a few.
Thanks to significant research, hypertension is now considered both treatable and preventable. Today we have antihypertensive medicines that can help control high blood pressure. What’s more, there are very simple rules that anyone can follow to avoid the risk of high blood pressure: reduce salt intake, eat well, exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight; and avoid tobacco use and harmful alcohol intake.
Hypertension affects an enormous amount of people, in all corners of the world. Global health issues like this demand collaboration across borders – a fact that the pharmaceutical industry and the healthcare community at large are growing increasingly conscious of, and are taking action to address. Research initiatives like the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) are encouraging pan-EU research programmes. Meanwhile, a partnership between EFPIA, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, and the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) is set to encourage an international knowledge exchange by sponsoring fellowships for African researchers in Europe.
These are the kinds of cross-border solutions we need to tackle today’s global health problems – whether that means supporting research in areas of unmet medical need, or raising awareness for a global killer like hypertension. World Health Day is a yearly reminder of an issue that continues to impact lives around the world, and encourages us all to take action. As we continue to push forward research and awareness initiatives towards better public health at the global level, individuals can take steps at the personal level to ensure their own wellbeing. Taking inspiration from this year’s World Health Day and getting your own blood pressure checked is a good start.
