From: wsargeant@IGC.ORG (Winslow L. Sargeant)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS:Zimbabwe, heart diseases causing co'
Date: 12 Apr 92 21:26:20 GMT

/* Written  1:04 pm  Apr 10, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "ZIMBABWE: HEART DISEASES CAUSING CO" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Africa, southern
Title: ZIMBABWE: HEART DISEASES CAUSING CONCERN


harare, apr 7 (ips) -- zimbabwe has launched a one-year
awareness campaign to educate the country's 10 million people on
how to avoid heart diseases.

the campaign is part of the country's commemmoration of
'world health day', organised by the u.n. world health
organisation (who), whose theme this year is ''heart beat -- the
rhythm for health''.

zimbabwe's health ministry organised various countrywide
activities including panel discussions, radio and television
programmes, drama, music and recitals of poetry whose message is
on cardio-vascular problems.

according to the senior health education officer in the
ministry, fortunate sibanda, heart attacks and high blood
pressure have ''now become major problems in zimbabwe''.

''we want people to know that diets with too much fat or
sugar contribute to heart problems,'' she told ips. ''everybody
should know through education about what they can do to prevent
heart diseases and what they should do when affected.''

as part of the campaign, the ministry began distributing
t-shirts and pamphlets, while health workers are encouraged to
talk to patients about the preventive and control measures and
routinely checking people's blood pressure.

''in the past we used to look at such problems as diarrhoea,
but more and more patients are complaining about heart-related
diseases,'' sibanda said.

according to who, diseases of the heart and arteries account
for 25 percent, or 12 million of the total number of deaths
worldwide.

the organisation says in just a decade there are more deaths
from heart diseases than from a number of infectious diseases
combined, among them diarrhoeal diseases, bilharzia,
tuberculosis, malaria, measles and whooping cough.

''in zimbabwe, it is difficult to say whether people are
aware of the problems or the magnitude,'' sibanda said.

''in urban areas, for instance, more people are leading a
sedentatry life and do not exercise, which also leads to heart
problems. motorists find it difficult even to walk two
kilometres,'' she said. (more/ips)


zimbabwe: heart (2)

in rural areas, however, heart problems are fewer as people
have better eating habits and all their activities involve
exercising, she said.

noting that cardio-vascular diseases are a major cause of
death for people aged 35 and over, zimbabwe's health minister
blamed the high incidence to excessive indulgence in alcohol,
fatty foods and smoking.

dr timothy stamps said to ensure a healthy heart, people
should stop smoking and abusing drugs and avoid stressful
situations, engage in active lifestyles and take part in various
forms of exercises.

''let us communicate to the public the need for heart
health,'' he said, urging people to have regular high blood
pressure check ups.

due to inadequate facilities and manpower shortages, it is
not normal practice in this southern african nation for people
to go for blood pressure check-ups.

''our medical personnel cannot cope with demand if everybody
walked into clinics and hospitals,'' sibanda said.

the health education officer expressed concern that some high
blood pressure patients stop treatment as soon as they feel
better.

''in the interest of public health, all community leaders,
parents, professionals of different disciplines,
non-governmental bodies, schools and individuals should provide
health and action so as to alert the worsening problem of heart
health,'' the ministry of health says.

''there is risk that you will suffer from heart disease later
in life if you eat too much fatty or salty food, become
overweight, smoke or if you are lazy about physical exercise,''
warns the ministry. (end/ips/gk/apc/ar/92)