About 8,300 stroke cases were admitted to public hospitals here in 2018, up 5 per cent from 2017, according to the latest data from the Singapore Stroke Registry.
Globally, around one in four adults over the age of 25 will suffer a stroke in their lifetime. But the majority of these cases - 80 per cent - can be prevented through lifestyle modifications. If the stroke is spotted early and emergency treatment is done quickly, complications can also be reduced.
This month, the Stroke Services Improvement (SSI) team will be reaching out to the public in places such as the lift lobbies of Housing Board blocks, by mailing residents, and by having a larger social media outreach to raise awareness about stroke prevention and detection.
The SSI is a national team appointed by the Ministry of Health in 2014 to oversee and implement initiatives to improve stroke care.
This three-month drive is an extension of last year's version, which had the tagline: Be Stroke Smart, Be OK: Spot Stroke. Stop Stroke.
Associate Professor Deidre Anne de Silva, chair of the SSI and a senior consultant neurologist at the National Neuroscience Institute, said: "The important message remains that one should seek urgent treatment when any one sign of stroke is spotted, regardless of severity. So, stroke education must not stop."
Warning signs of stroke include face and arm weaknesses, as well as speech difficulty.
Given the Covid-19 outbreak, the outreach campaign will be conducted with the required safe management measures, the SSI said yesterday. Digital platforms will also be a stronger focus this year, with initiatives targeting all age groups.
For instance, to educate seniors, SSI will organise online getai shows centred on the theme Be Stroke Smart on Nov 5, featuring popular getai artists and hosted by Lin Ru Ping. Bite-size information used to identify common symptoms of stroke will be conveyed in an entertaining manner.
The getai performances will be live-streamed on the Spot Stroke Facebook page and the LEX-S Watch Live Channel's platform.
Stroke education is also being extended to children, who can help spread the message to the rest of the family, especially their grandparents.
An action hero storybook will be launched for young readers, while a series of interactive e-books, games and animations is available on this website to educate children about stroke in a fun and interactive manner.
A virtual storytelling session, in collaboration with the National Library Board, will be held on Oct 25.
The public can register for it on this website.
More details on the campaign initiatives can be found on the Spot Stroke Facebook page.
