(New York, USA) – Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies, is committed to reducing the global burden of high blood pressure. More than 1 billion people worldwide have hypertension, but only one in seven has it under control. Tragically, 10 million die from this preventable disease each year. Furthermore, hypertension disproportionately affects people in low- and middle-income countries.
We welcome the new hypertension guideline issued by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, which demonstrates how critical it is to bring this disease under control.
“We have to take control of high blood pressure worldwide. Our goal at Resolve to Save Lives is to increase the number of those who have their blood pressure controlled from 14% to 50%, enabling 500 million people to live longer, healthier lives.,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO. “The new guideline adopts a rigorous scientific approach, emphasizing the need for treatment and patient engagement.”
Resolve to Save Lives aims to save 100 million lives over the next 30 years by:
– Supporting policies to eliminate artificial trans-fats and reduce global sodium consumption by 30%.
– Helping low- and middle-income countries improve treatment of high blood pressure by supporting efforts that have been proven to be effective and can be easily scaled up in large populations.
“Many low-and middle-income countries have a high burden of hypertension and low rates of treatment,” said Dr. Marc Jaffe, Senior Vice President of Resolve to Save 100 Million Lives. “We have identified the lessons learned from successful programs across the globe, and are sharing what’s worked and what can be scaled up quickly with countries that have committed to improve cardiovascular health.”
Hypertension is called the silent killer –this is because it quietly damages arteries and organs while people are leading a seemingly healthy life. The more people know about the causes of this leading killer, and the steps they can take to reduce their risk, the healthier the world will be.
About Resolve to Save Lives
Resolve to Save Lives is a five-year, $225 million campaign funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It is led by Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and coordinated by Vital Strategies, which works in 60 countries to address the world’s most challenging health issues. To find out more visit: https://www.resolvetosavelives.org or Twitter @ResolveTSL
About Vital Strategies
Vital Strategies is a global health organization that seeks to accelerate progress on the world’s most pressing health problems. Our team combines evidence-based strategies with innovation to help develop and implement sound public health policies, manage programs efficiently, strengthen data systems, conduct research, and design strategic communication campaigns for policy and behavior change. To find out more, please visit vstrategystage.wpengine.com or Twitter @VitalStrat.
For further information or to arrange an interview with a Resolve to Save Lives expert, please contact Erin Sykes at +1 646-612-0001 or esykes@resolvetosavelives.org or Christina Honeysett, Vital Strategies at +1 914.424.3356 or choneysett@vitalstrategies.org.