World Stroke Day on October 29 focuses on awareness, prevention and timely treatment

World Stroke Day is observed today. The day aims to raise awareness of stroke, a serious illness, stress preventive measures and take information on proper treatment to everyone.

Information issued on the occasion describes stroke as the stopping of blood supply in the brain. When the blood supply stops, brain cells do not get oxygen and are destroyed. This can lead to sudden paralysis, slurred speech or blindness, it says.

Regular exercise, a balanced diet, avoiding smoking and alcohol, and keeping high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol under control are considered important to reduce the risk of stroke. On this day, various health organisations and experts share information on the urgent symptoms. They say changes in the face, arms and speech must be recognised and medical help sought immediately.

Several events in the history of the country and the world took place on October 29. In 1894, the Maharashtra Granthottejak Sabha was founded. In 1914, the Ottoman Empire entered the First World War. In 1922, Benito Mussolini became Prime Minister of Italy. In 1944, during the Second World War, the Soviet Red Army entered Hungary. In 1957, Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and his five ministers, including Moshe Dwek, were injured when a grenade was thrown in the Knesset.

In 1958, Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve was conferred the Bharat Ratna. In 1961, Syria separated from the United Arab Republic. In 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form Tanzania. In 1969, the first computer-to-computer link was established on ARPANET, the forerunner of the internet. In 1991, the American Galileo spacecraft came closest to 951 Gaspra, becoming the first probe to visit an asteroid.

In 1994, Dr T. Gnanasekaran and R.E.K. Murthy received the Homi Bhabha Award for achievements in science and technology. In 1996, Kamini, an indigenously built 30 MW reactor, was commissioned at Kalpakkam. In the same year, the Madhya Pradesh government selected classical singer Girija Devi for the Tansen Award. In 1997, the first "Manikratna Award" of the Manik Verma Pratishthan was given to Gaan Tapaswini Mogubai Kurdikar, while actor Dilip Kumar received the N.T. Rama Rao National Film Award. In 1999, a cyclone caused damage in Orissa.

In 2005, more than 60 people were killed in terrorist bomb blasts in Delhi. In 2008, Delta Air Lines merged with Northwest Airlines to become the world's largest airline. In 2015, China ended its one-child policy after 35 years.

Those born on this date include Germany's Chancellor and Nazi leader Joseph Goebbels (1897, died May 1, 1945), Indian poet, lyricist, writer and actor Vaali (1931), writer and screenwriter Prabhakar Tamane (1931, died March 7, 2000), Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden (1971), English motorcycle racer Cal Crutchlow (1985) and Indian boxer Vijender Singh (1985).

Those who died on this date include Hungarian-American political leader and publisher Joseph Pulitzer (1911, born April 10, 1847), French Prime Minister and mathematician Paul Painleve (1933, born December 5, 1863), Vasant Ramji Khanolkar, who laid the foundation of medical research in India (1978, born April 13, 1895), actor Dada Salvi (1981) and Magsaysay Award-winning freedom fighter and social worker Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay (1988, born April 3, 1903).