The past three years of fighting Covid feel like a fog of war. Although everyone wants to move on, we must reckon with how bad the pandemic was—and how much worse it could have been. 1/thread
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Dr. Tom Frieden
@DrTomFrieden
Global health leader and epidemiologist. President and CEO of . Former director and commissioner. Focused on saving lives.
Dr. Tom Frieden’s Tweets
Swapping regular salt with low-sodium salt is a great way to cut sodium intake. Governments should promote low-sodium salts by expanding their availability, reducing cost, and increasing acceptance among consumers, retailers, and producers.
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Discrimination at work isn’t just unfair—it can also be bad for your heart. According to a new study, workplace discrimination was associated with an increased risk of hypertension among U.S. workers.
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An important point from : A pandemic is far more than a health crisis, and investing in public health systems is an investment in social, economic, and political stability and security.
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In most countries, people eat more than TWICE the recommended daily limit for salt, on average. Eating more than 5g (or just one teaspoon!) can increase your blood pressure and your risk of heart disease.
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Scaling up proven blood pressure control strategies will save millions of lives—including establishing simple treatment protocols, increasing access to quality, affordable medications, and expanding team-based and patient-centered care. bit.ly/38CGcjv
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In low- and middle-income countries, only 1 in 10 people with high blood pressure has it under control.
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I was privileged to work with Dr. Colin McCord, known as Coke to everyone, for more than three decades. I learned so much from him. He had a profound influence on me — and on the lives of millions of people, most of whom will never know his name.
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I joined for a roundtable discussion on the challenges facing healthcare workers and how to address looming shortages.
Along with , and , we covered the scale of the problem and what needs to happen now 📽️
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A new toolkit created by our team at guides countries on how to establish and scale up effective programs for people living with both HIV and high blood pressure. bit.ly/42VjVUw
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Using less salt and, when you do use salt, using low-sodium salt and spices such as cumin, garlic, ginger and paprika when cooking at home can help you eat healthier and make your food taste better.
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Our mission is to save 100 million lives from heart disease. Improving control of high blood pressure is one of our key objectives. partners with 30 countries that have enrolled more than 10 million patients in hypertension treatment programs. resolvetosavelives.org/cardiovascular
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Today, on World Hypertension Day, has awarded ’s Cardiovascular Health team with the 2023 Organizational Excellence Award for their work to improve management and control of high blood pressure around the world.
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Public health action, especially but not limited to vaccination, made a huge difference during the pandemic. It succeeds most when it’s tightly tied to real-time data and the decision-making process of balancing costs and benefits is transparent. More:
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The past three years of fighting Covid feel like a fog of war. Although everyone wants to move on, we must reckon with how bad the pandemic was—and how much worse it could have been. 1/thread
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If the U.S. as whole had a Covid death rate as low as one of the best-performing states, hundreds of thousands of lives would have been saved.
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The Covid pandemic cost millions of lives and trillions of dollars. The U.S. and the world can’t afford another devastating pandemic. I spoke with about the lessons we’ve learned from Covid and what we must do to address our shortcomings.
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🚨I've talked with dozens of experts & officials who worked on the pandemic response.
Here are 7 transformations that must happen if the US doesn't -- once again -- get utterly destroyed by a virus.
Not simple. This is real talk. 🧵
Mine
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Public health data systems in the U.S. have been underfunded and understaffed for decades, hampering our ability to track and manage not just Covid but other outbreaks as well.
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The waning of protection and the unwinding of the public health emergency have raised questions and highlighted lingering challenges.
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This will save an estimated 1,200 lives a year and bring us closer to a trans fat free world! bit.ly/42qdIQJ
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Congratulations to Nigeria on a public health win!
Nigeria passed a new policy to eliminate trans fat from the country's food supply. Artificial trans fat is a toxic chemical that increases the risk of heart disease.
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Peace is prerequisite to health. TB is preventable and treatable, but conflict in Ukraine and Sudan is worsening outbreaks and taking innocent lives.
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Lifesaving policies to reduce tobacco use, hypertension, air pollution, and more can save millions of lives and trillions of dollars. Missing ingredient? Political leadership.
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How is the world doing stopping the leading causes of death?
Terribly.
Progress stalled since 2014 and the Covid pandemic further undermined health. There’s a way forward.
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A new study in Jamaica found octagonal warning labels to be most effective in helping people make healthier food choices. The more widespread these labels become, the healthier communities will be.
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Warning labels on the front of products high in sodium, sugar and fat—a public health measure started in Chile and now in effect in Argentina, Mexico, and elsewhere—make it easier for people to recognize and avoid unhealthy food.
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Pandemic casualties reached 22 million globally, with 46% in Asia and 83% in developing countries. As of last week, COVID remained the 3rd leading global cause of death.
Call it over but that’s an awful lot of people who continue to die daily.
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Dr. Walensky led CDC during the most disruptive pandemic in a century. I wish her well and hope the next director continues to strengthen public health and improve the morale of the dedicated doctors, nurses, scientists and other professionals at CDC.
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WHO has declared the global health emergency over, but Covid hasn't gone away. Precautions are still necessary for many, and we must fix what the pandemic has broken and exposed in our health system and society.
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It’s inevitable we’ll face another pandemic threat, and the world is losing time to sufficiently prepare. outlines the path forward for collaborative action to strengthen pandemic preparedness and response.
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The world has the opportunity to commit to transformational changes that can make COVID-19 the #LastPandemic.
And the UN General Assembly has a key role.
@MaEllenSirleaf & @HelenClarkNZ provide a roadmap for a world protected from pandemic threats.
bit.ly/RMprotect
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Dr. Colin McCord was incisive about what can be done to understand and improve health. His work, life, and approach inspired me and many others.
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A win-win for Australia: Increased taxes on tobacco will mean fewer people smoking and more money for primary health care.
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Improved public health systems are key to managing existing disease threats and preventing new ones. 19/end
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It’s not clear how long the current Covid equilibrium will last, even as emergency measures wind down. Vaccinations have saved millions of lives and will be essential to continue to help us fight Covid. 18/
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We must strengthen health systems at all levels to address the aftershocks of the pandemic, such as missed childhood vaccinations and a health care workforce that needs much more support. I wrote about the need for epidemic-ready primary health care. bit.ly/40JOprm 17/
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The Covid pandemic has taken a steep toll, and the challenges we continue to grapple with point to a need for the 3 R’s: Renaissance in public health, Robust primary care, and Resilient individuals and communities. bit.ly/3EnOklB 16/
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I wish we had more data about who exactly is dying from Covid. CDC should work with state and local health departments to collect and publish this data so we can better protect people with conditions that put them most at risk. 15/
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And although it may save the lives those at high risk of severe Covid, recommending that everyone get a shot every 4-6 months for an infection that likely won’t be serious doesn’t make much sense. 14/
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Because protection wanes, annual boosters with the current formulation may not be enough to drive deaths or hospitalizations down from their current levels. More than 1,000 people died from Covid last week. 13/
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