There will be free screening for blood pressure throughout the month of May in public health facilities targeting 200,000 Kenyans. [Photo/twitter]
The Ministry of Health and the Kenya Cardiac Society (KCS) will conduct a month long campaign dubbed ‘Pima Pressure’ aimed at raising awareness on High Blood Pressure (HBP).
Ministry of Health Head of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Dr. Loise Nyanjau said that the campaign, to be conducted next month, targets to screen at least 200, 000 people across the nation besides providing cardiovascular health education.
Speaking Wednesday during the launch of the campaign, Dr. Nyanjau warned that habits such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption may cause hypertension and urged all Kenyans to show up for the free HBP screening.
Speaking at the same event, Chairman of the May Measurement Month (MMM) programme Professor Elijah Ogola stated,“ One in four Kenyans is living with hypertension and more than half of Kenyans have never had their blood pressure measured. More than 90 percent of those undergoing treatment for hypertension have not attained control of the disease”.
Professor Ogola said that high blood pressure has no symptoms and is the lead cause of heart diseases such as cardiac arrest and stroke.
He added that globally, about 1.6 billion people are affected by HBP with 13 percent of deaths attributed to the condition.
Nairobi County Coordinator of Non-Communicable Diseases program Dr. Nkatha Meme termed hypertension as a non-symptomatic condition and advised people to go for screening regularly.
She stressed the need for awareness creation on lifestyle and general health matters among the public to keep the disease at bay.
The World Hypertension Day will be commemorated on May 17 at Uhuru Park.