The nation joins some 94 countries in the celebration of World Heart Day tomorrow, Sept. 26. The Department of Health (DoH) together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Heart Foundation of the Philippines will lead other concerned agencies in the observance.
Forums and conferences will be held to increase public awareness on cardiovascular disease risk factors and to encourage people to take charge of their health by adopting a heart healthy lifestyle.
“World Heart Day is an opportunity for people around the world to become more aware of their heart health and in preventing heart disease. While men are still more prone to heart problems, women are now at a higher risk as well,” WHO said.
Recent reports show that the combined death toll for heart attacks and strokes involving women is 8.6 million a year.
DoH records show that the incidence of cardiovascular diseases has risen since the 1960s and has outpaced ailments like pneumonia, tuberculosis and cancer as the no. 1 killer in the country. DoH figures show that 15 percent of deaths recorded in the 1990s were caused by heart ailments.
xperts say that for every 100,000 Filipinos; 30,000 suffer from a form of heart problem. (Christina I. Hermoso)
