WHO says one in every four people are affected by hypertension in Sudan
14 April, 2013Khartoum, ( sudanow.info.sd)- The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in the Sudan hypertension affects 1 in 4 people suffering from non-communicable diseases such as heart disease and stroke, cancers, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases.
In the celebrations marking the World Health Day, the organization quoted a recent study as showing that in Khartoum 86% of people do not regularly exercise and that their general diet is low in intake of vegetables and fruits.
In a press release it issued in Khartoum on Sunday, to mark the World Health Day WHO has called for intensified efforts to prevent and control hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. Worldwide, high blood pressure is estimated to affect more than one in three adults aged 25 and over, or about one billion people.
The release said hypertension is one of the most important contributors to heart disease and stroke – which together make up the world’s number one cause of premature death and disability.
The release said researchers estimate that high blood pressure contributes to nearly 9.4 million deaths from cardiovascular disease each year. It also increases the risk of conditions such as kidney failure and blindness. Overall, high-income countries have a lower prevalence of hypertension (35% of adults) than low -and -middle income groups (40% of adults).
Detecting high blood pressure is the first step in preventing and controlling it. On this year’s World Health Day, WHO is calling on all adults around the world to get their blood pressure measured. When people know their blood pressure level, they can take steps to control it.
“In Sudan hypertension affects 1 in 4 people suffering from non-communicable diseases such as heart disease and stroke, cancers, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases” says Dr Anshu Banerjee, WHO Representative in Sudan.
In 2012, at the WHO World Health Assembly, governments decided to adopt a global target of a 25% reduction in premature death from non-communicable diseases by 2025 as a response to the United Nations Political Declaration on Non-communicable Diseases, which was adopted by Heads of State and Government in September 2011.
The Declaration commits countries to make greater efforts to promote public awareness campaigns to further the prevention and control of non-communicable. WHO’s campaign to encourage people to measure their blood pressure is part of this.
“WHO in Sudan has supported the development of the National Strategy to prevent and control non-communicable diseases” says Dr. Banerjee, “and we are now in the process of setting up a Multisectoral Technical Committee that will implement the Strategy”
A recent study shows that in Khartoum 86% of people do not regularly exercise and that their general diet is low in intake of vegetables and fruits. It said people can cut the risks of high blood pressure by consuming less salt, eating a balanced diet, engaging in regular physical activity, avoiding tobacco use in any form and avoiding harmful use of alcohol
end
MO
Photo of the Week
From Medical Research to the Advancement of Specialized Healthcare: A Scientific Career Bridging Knowledge and Community Service Gedaref – Sudanow Professor Saeed Mohamed Omar has achieved a notable scientific milestone by being included among the world’s top 2% of scientists for 2025–2026 in Clinical Medicine, under the General and Internal Medicine subfield,...
More-
11 October, 2026
Stories from the Heart of the Battlefield On World Teachers’ Day: The Sudanese Teacher — Achievements Against All Odds
Teachers carried their chalk through the rubble and kept working — Resilience War closed schools, but examinations continued — A Mission Low salaries and mounting hardships — The Price of the Profession Khartoum (Sudanow) — Teachers around the world are marking World Teachers’ Day this week, an occasion that carries messages of appreciation and gratitude for those who carry the torch of knowledge...
Contact Us
Address: Sudan News Agency (SUNA) Building, Jamhoria Street, Khartoum - Sudan
Mobile:+249 909220011 / +249 912307547