We currently have 64 SSO members of WSO. There are 16 brand new SSO members this year from Bulgaria, Jamaica, Seychelles, Sweden, Tanzania, Zambia, Brazil, Fiji, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Ghana, UK, Philippines and Ireland.
In 2019, 13 SSOs from low and middle income countries were supported to join WSO through the Linking Initiative.
Our SSO membership continues to contribute to blogs about their lived experience of stroke, stroke prevention awareness and long-term support.
A number of our SSO members are now confirmed as speakers in the main program at the ESO-WSO Conference in Vienna in 2020.
Mobilise SSO engagement in the World Stroke Campaign
Many SSOs and other WSO members across the world linked their events to the World Stroke Day Virtual Relay. Members flew the 'Don't Be The One' campaign flag as part of the virtual relay. Countries that joined the relay were the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand, South Africa, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Serbia.
The Japan Stroke Association demonstrates the importance of professional and patient collaboration in influencing stroke policy.
Over the past ten years the Japan Stroke Association, has been lobbying for improved stroke policy in the country. Through collaboration and determination, the Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease Control Act passed in December 2018 and will come in to force this December 2019.
Listen to a recent International Journal of Stroke Podcast Series about the Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease Control Act and look out for an SSO Spotlight case study about the Japan Stroke Association in the coming weeks.