Is it true that cardiovascular attack is more deadly than terrorism?

24/11/2022

If you ask about the gravest threat to humanity in the current environment, most people will go with terrorism as their answer. Of course, with the growing violent activities all across the globe, terrorism is a serious issue that the world is facing. Still, if you look at the reports on mortality rate and their causes, you will get an entirely different picture. According to data, in 2019, 32.84% of deaths were caused by cardiovascular diseases, while terrorism was responsible for 0.05% of deaths. According to the World Health Organization, Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally. An estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2019, representing 32% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85% were due to heart attack and stroke. Cardiovascular diseases include heart and blood vessel disorders, including coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease, and other conditions. It is estimated that four out of five CVD deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes, and one-third of these deaths occur prematurely in people under 70.
From the above statistics, it can be said that 650 deaths by cardiac arrest are equal to one terrorist. In a study, it has been found that Sudden Cardiac Death constituted 5.6% of total mortality and about 1/5th of all the cardiovascular deaths. From the data of national mortality figures, it can be roughly deduced that 7-lakh Sudden Cardiac Death cases annually occur in India.
According to Global Terrorism Index (GTI), the impact of terrorism is lessened in seven of the nine regions of the world in 2019. While exploring the Global Terrorism Index, it has been found that 2019 was the fifth consecutive year of declining global terrorism since terrorist violence peaked in 2014 at nearly 17,000 attacks and more than 44,000 total deaths. The total number of terrorist attacks worldwide decreased 50% between 2014 and 2019, and the total number of deaths decreased by 54%. Comparing the two databases of CVD and Terror attacks, it is clear that although terror attacks is indeed severe threat to humanity, the death rate of terror attacks is still much less that the CVD. We cannot ignore the growing cases of CVDs which are subsequently taking human lives in its wake.
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of disease burden in the world. CVD burden is on the rise for most countries. Hence, while terrorism is something that cannot be controlled single-handedly, the least we can do is take good care of our bodies and health. The database of CVD mortality rates is screaming at the world to wake up and notice the silent killer that is on loose. If we give even half of the attention that is given to the terrorism to Cardio Vascular attacks, we may able to save a number of lives.
Yes, terrorism is a significant threat to humanity, and all the global leaders and countries are searching for ways to eliminate it from its roots. But, we cannot ignore that CVD is currently the most noteworthy peril humans' face. While we are preparing ourselves to face terrorists with various weapons and strategies, CVD is acting as a silent biological weapon that takes thousands of people's lives. Therefore, it's high time; we focus on taking care of our health and start fighting the deadliest of all cardiovascular diseases.
(Views expressed are personal)

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