29 September: World Heart Day

  • 30 Sep 2021

  • World Heart Day is observed on 29 September to increase public awareness of cardiovascular diseases, their prevention and their global impact.
  • The theme of World Heart Day 2021 is “Use Heart to Connect”.
  • CVD, including heart disease and stroke, is the world's leading cause of death claiming 18.6 million lives each year.
  • According to the Global Burden of Disease, nearly a quarter (24.8 per cent) of all deaths in India is due to CVDs.
  • In 2013, the WHO developed targets to control and prevent non-communicable diseases – of which CVDs make a large part of – including a relative reduction of 25 per cent in overall mortality from CVDs by 2025. India’s National Health Policy 2017 too, aims to reduce premature mortality from CVDs, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases by 25 per cent by 2025.
  • The sustainable development goals set by the United Nations in 2015 call for a one-third reduction in premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by 2030 under one of its targets. These include cardiovascular diseases (CVD), chronic respiratory illnesses, cancer and diabetes.