Ethiopia has launched a national salt reduction media campaign, “Reduce your salt consumption habit by half!”, as part of the effort to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases in the population.  The campaign was launched on February 16, 2020 by the Ethiopian Ministry of Health in collaboration with WHO and Resolve to Save Lives.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
At the launching event, Honorable Dr Dereje Duguma, State Minister of Health said that the media campaign aims to transmit a message to the community to reduce their usual salt consumption by half. He expressed concern that the Ethiopian average salt consumption is 8.3gm/day/person, which is above the WHO standard of less than or equal to 5gm or one teaspoon full day. Dr Dereje said, “This high salt consumption rate is the main reason  behind deaths from heart attack and stroke,” and expressed the Ministry’s commitment to support the ongoing initiatives to reduce the consumption of salt, trans fats and sugary foods.

Dr. Esther Aceng-Dokotum, representing WHO Ethiopia at the event, appreciated the Government’s leadership in encouraging healthy lifestyle, including salt reduction, in the quest to reduce sickness and death from hypertension and heart disease.  She further confirmed WHO’s commitment to work with the Ministry of Health and partners in this regard. 

In Ethiopia, in the last two decades the cardiovascular disease cases have doubled, and the age standardized prevalence showed ischemic heart attack occurred in 622 persons out of 100,000 in the susceptible age group, and stroke in 314 persons out of 100,000. In 2017, out of 100,000 people in the susceptible age group, 83 died of ischemic heart attack and 62 died of stroke.

The Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Investment Case Report produced by WHO and partners explains that the effort for salt consumption reduction in Ethiopia is a cost-effective strategy. According to the report, for every one Ethiopian birr spent on salt consumption reduction efforts, there is a return of 3.3 birr, preventing 440,000 deaths and resulting a productivity gain of 21 billion birr in the next fifteen years.
The salt consumption reduction campaign is part of the hypertension prevention and control project integrating health care delivery with prevention, and health system strengthening at primary health care level.

The campaign’s key messages are being be shared by partner organizations on their websites and social media channels, and broadcast on local radio stations and via communal loudspeakers in communities. Community education events, including salt reduction education at local high schools and through health extension workers, are scheduled to support the media campaign.

WHO works work with the Ministry of Health and other partners to prevent non-communicable diseases through technical support to the implementation of projects and campaigns encouraging healthy lifestyle for a healthier Ethiopian population.