The World Heart Federation supports the development of policies that have a positive impact on people’s heart health. Our roadmaps, policy briefs and position papers can be adapted to different contexts and are regularly updated based on the latest available evidence.
Our Roadmaps are designed and developed by international teams of experts who together identify challenges and offer solutions on specific topics impacting cardiovascular mortality. They can serve as models for regions and countries to develop their own Roadmaps and create or update their national non-communicable disease action plans. They offer a framework to bring together stakeholders with the objective of determining, prioritizing and implementing solutions to reduce premature CVD deaths in any context.
Our policy briefs present concise summaries of information that can help readers understand and make informed decisions about policies related to cardiovascular disease, associated risk factors and determinants of health. They provide objective summaries of relevant research, outline existing global policies, suggest possible approaches and argue for courses of action that governments should take when creating or considering policies to foster healthy environments in their country or region.
Our position papers reflect our policy positions on a wide range of CVD-related issues. They are supported by scientific studies published in recognized journals and have a rigorous review and approval process. These papers generally include a review of data available on a specific subject, an evaluation on its relationship to overall cardiovascular disease science, and WHF recommendations on the basis of that evaluation within the context of global public health policy.
Thursday 12 December 2024 marks seven years since World Universal Health Coverage Day was established, in recognition of the importance of strong, resilient health systems to ensure access to health services for all. The term Universal Health Coverage expresses into words the powerful goal of tackling health inequalities, which continue to be deeply rooted within […]
Universal Health Coverage
Chagas Disease has long been one of the world’s most neglected diseases with a complex prognosis if left undetected and untreated. The Chagas Observatory is a new tool aiming to improve patient outcomes, boost medical approaches, and influence supportive health policy. Now found beyond Latin America, Chagas disease manifests via often subtle symptoms and sometimes […]
Chagas Disease
Brussels, 3 December, 2024 — The European Union (EU) has adopted Council Conclusions that will set a milestone for the continent’s cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) – the leading cause of death in the EU and globally – affects more than 60 million Europeans, accounts for over 1.7 million deaths annually on the continent, and […]
The World Heart Federation (WHF) is excited to announce that the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially released its new Guideline on the Prevention and Diagnosis of Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease. This key resource represents a major milestone in global efforts to combat rheumatic heart disease – a completely preventable condition that continues […]
Rheumatic Heart Disease