AstraZeneca committed to tackling hypertension across Africa

An old woman undergoes blood pressure screening, as part of activities to mark World Hypertension Day.

SINCE May 17, 2006, the World Hypertension League (WHL), in close partnership with the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) and other organisations, has been hosting the World Hypertension Day (WHD), whose five-year (2013-2018) theme is ‘Know Your Numbers,’ with the aim of increasing high blood pressure awareness in all populations around the world.

The day was designated based on the global statistics, indicating that only 50 per cent of those with hypertension were aware they actually had it and that only a few population had an awareness rate of more than 75 per cent.

To increase awareness of hypertension diagnosis, cardiovascular disease experts say there are two critical components which are establishing high capacity community screening programmes for blood pressure in those at risk and having all health care professionals routinely assess blood pressure at all clinical encounters.

The World Hypertension Day “is a call to action for everyone to rise to the challenge of addressing hypertension,” according to Samer Al Hallaq, Vice-President AstraZeneca for the HEALTHY HEART AFRICA programme.AstraZeneca is a global bio pharmaceutical firm working with other organisations and the Kenyan Ministry of Health to address hypertension through its HEALTHY HEART AFRICA initiative.

The programme, which has already achieved early milestones in improving hypertension care in Kenya, is committed to reaching 10 million hypertensive patients across Africa by 2025.

Since the launch of HEALTHY HEART AFRICA’s demonstration programmes in Kenya in October, last year, AstraZeneca and its implementing partners have collaborated with the Kenyan Ministry of Health to develop a hypertension treatment protocol, create materials and train over 1,000 health care providers and community health workers.

It has also launched the ‘blood pressure matters’ awareness and prevention campaign on hypertension, began mobilisation of 250+ health facilities to provide hypertension services and to screen over 10,000 patients during the initial implementation phase (first 15 days).

HEALTHY HEART AFRICA is building on its early milestones to fully activate its network of 2,000 healthcare providers and community health workers to begin delivering hypertension education and awareness, screening and treatment services to patients in need, say the programme’s initiators.

The programme is also training and employing Hypertension Nurses across the territories to support and mentor healthcare providers, build capacity within the facilities and further improve patient care, according to AstraZeneca senior officials.

AstraZeneca’s ambition through the programme is to ensure that patients across Africa with high blood pressure are on treatments which control their condition by 2025, supporting the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) ‘25 by 25’ global monitoring framework for preventing and controlling non-communicable diseases.

WHO says that hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and indicates an increased risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke and other complications.

According to the UN agency, hypertension causes 7.5 million deaths annually (12.8 per cent of all deaths) and the risk of dying from hypertension in low and middle-income countries is more than double that in high-income countries.

Africa, a continent which currently attracts huge foreign investment, is home to the highest prevalence of people over 45 years with raised blood pressure.

Africa’s 25 per cent of deaths under 60 are attributable to hypertension. Current epidemiological data suggest that this figure will rise to 150 million by 2025.

In contrast to developed regions, WHO says Africa has seen a steady increase in high blood pressure in both sexes since the 1990s. In Kenya alone, where the HEALTHY HEART AFRICA initiative is proving a success story, 44.5 per cent of adults are reported to have raised blood pressure, which is one of the highest prevalence rates across the continent.

The World Hypertension League has developed a series of resources to aid communitybased blood pressure screening. This year, the resources are being field tested in Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Haiti, Brazil and Canada with enhanced versions expected next year.

An important initial step to control hypertension and help achieve the United Nations 2025 goal of a 25 per cent reduction in uncontrolled hypertension is markedly improving the proportion of those with hypertension who are diagnosed. Enhanced BP screenings to include participation in WHD-2015 and working with the WHL and ISH will contribute to achieving this goal.

The WHL also recognizes that there are complex challenges to prevention and control of hypertension globally. However, in most settings, efforts to prevent and control hypertension are not comprehensive nor coordinated.



This year, the WHL also challenges all member societies and partners to participate in the World Hypertension Day celebration with rigorous blood pressure measurement efforts in the community and clinical settings and to report the results of the screening activities.

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