News

Cardiovascular disease leading cause of death in Fiji

June 19, 2018 5:05 am

The Health Ministry and the World Health Organization say that cardiovascular disease, and not diabetes, is the leading cause of death in Fiji.

In a joint statement the agencies say last year, Fiji experienced almost twice as many cardiovascular-related deaths to those resulting from diabetes.

They say recent headlines on diabetes rates in Fiji highlight the importance of the whole community taking action in protecting their health from Non Communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which primarily take the form of heart attacks and strokes.

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The Ministry says while diabetes-related diseases are not the leading cause of death in Fiji, NCDs like diabetes and cardiovascular disease are major concerns.

Cardiovascular disease is more likely to develop in people who smoke, have an unhealthy diet, are not physically active and/or misuse alcohol.

A person becomes more at-risk of cardiovascular disease when they have raised blood pressure, elevated blood sugar and/or are overweight or obese.

The two agencies say prevention is critical for decreasing NCD death rates, and the risk of developing NCDs can be lowered by Fijians making healthy choices for themselves and their families.

The Ministry with support from development partners such as WHO, is taking a proactive approach to combat NCDs.

The Health Ministry and WHO have no affiliation or association with the World Life Expectancy website.

They say information or reports published by World Life Expectancy are not verified or endorsed by either agency.