World Stroke Organization calls for urgent global action on stroke prevention and care under the 2025 theme ‘Every Minute Counts’
OdishaPlus Bureau
• Over 7 million people succumb to brain strokes worldwide every year
• Hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and unhealthy lifestyle major triggers
• IFI Foundation launches multilingual awareness campaign – “Stroke Mukt Jeevan”
Brain stroke has emerged as one of the biggest public health challenges across the world today. Among non-communicable diseases, stroke is a major cause of mortality and disability worldwide. Its devastating impact on brain can cripple mental and physical aspects, making life difficult for millions of survivors and their families. To press awareness for global fightback against this crisis, October 29 is observed as World Stroke Day every year.
World Stroke Organisation (WSO), the leading global authority in the fight against stroke, says that more than 7 million people die prematurely every year due to stroke. Millions more suffer from long-term complications, which unleashes immense social and economic burden for families and communities. WSO figures now also paint an even more worrisome trend. Once considered a debilitating medical emergency limited to old age, stroke is now spreading its tentacles into young masses as well.
In response to this growing concern, the IFI Foundation, in collaboration with OdishaLIVE and SwasthyaPlus, has launched a special awareness campaign titled “Stroke-Mukt Jeevan” (Stroke-Free Life). This year, the week-long campaign is being observed from October 27 to 31, focusing on prevention, early detection, timely treatment and rehabilitation related to strokes.
As part of the initiative, informational videos highlighting the causes, symptoms, and management of stroke are being released on OdishaLIVE and SwasthyaPlus social media channels. These videos feature insights and interviews from leading doctors and health experts from all over India, along with impactful stories of resilience of stroke survivors.
While experts signal on the growing incidence of brain strokes in India, Odisha, too, is witnessing a perturbing trend in rise of stroke cases, calling for urgent awareness and preventive action
“IFI Foundation is a member of the World Stroke Organisation and has been conducting this awareness initiative for the past three years,” said Nilambar Rath, senior journalist and Chairperson of the Stroke-Mukt Jeevan campaign. “This year, the campaign is being conducted in multiple languages — Odia, Hindi, Bengali, and Marathi — to reach out to diverse audiences across different regions of India,” he adds.
During this campaign period, IFI Foundation is also releasing an e-newsletter and organising special awareness activities to equip students as ‘Stroke Spotters’ at university level to help them recognise the early signs and symptoms of stroke. This year, Berhampur University, Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ltd., and TiE Bhubaneswar have joined hands with IFI Foundation to strengthen the campaign outreach.
While many developed countries are successfully tackling stroke incidence with improved treatment outcomes through timely intervention, India lags behind in managing stroke under non-communicable diseases. Thus focused measures under policies promoting prevention, early diagnosis, and necessary treatment, along with strengthening post-stroke care and rehabilitation, are need of the hour.
The Stroke-Mukt Jeevan initiative by IFI Foundation is a step forward in this direction for building a healthier, stroke-free society.
