A major campaign is being launched today to help the public recognise when somebody is succumbing to stroke.
The government campaign uses the letters FAST to encourage people to call 999 rapidly when symptoms appear.
The letters stand for Face, Arm, Speech and "Time to call 999".
The National Stroke Strategy said better public awareness was a key component in improving stroke treatment. Some £12 million is to be spent on the campaign over three years.
The illness kills some 67,000 people in the UK each year – and some 150,000 people succumb to stroke.
Jon Barrick, chief executive of The Stroke Association, which has been using FAST for three years, said the campaign was "vital".
He said: "Better public understanding of stroke, its symptoms and treating it as a medical emergency will significantly improve the chances of recovery for the 150,000 people who have a stroke every year in the UK.
"We know that it’s the best way for people to remember how to recognise the signs of stroke and call 999 straight away. The awareness campaign will give this work a fantastic boost and could help reduce avoidable deaths resulting from stroke."
Professor Roger Boyle, national director for heart disease and stroke, said: "Stroke spreads like a fire in the brain – the sooner you get to treatment and put the fire out, the less damage is caused to the brain."
Leave a Reply