Stop the Clot, Spread the Word Campaign Launches to Inform People about Blood Clots

In recognition of Blood Clot Awareness Month, celebrated in March each year, the National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA) has launched a new public education campaign with the NCBDDD’s Division of Blood Disorders.  The purpose of the campaign is to increase awareness about life-threatening blood clots and to urge people nationwide to ask themselves one potentially life-saving question:  Could I be at risk for a blood clot? Blood clots do not discriminate by age, gender, ethnicity or race.  Blood clots affect everyone – from infants and young children to teens, young moms and dads, people of middle age, and senior citizens too.  Up to 900,000 people in the United States each year are affected by blood clots in their legs(deep vein thrombosis or DVT) and blood clots in their lungs (pulmonary embolism or PE).  Annually, up to 100,000 Americans – or an average of one person every six minutes – will die due to a blood clot. This new public education campaign – called Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ – aims to sharpen public awareness about blood clot risk factors, as well as the signs and symptoms of blood clots, to help turn back the staggering impact of DVT and PE on so many families. “Blood clots can cause serious illness, disability and in some cases death,” stated Coleen A. Boyle, Ph.D., MShyg., Director of CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.“ CDC has worked closely with the National Blood Clot Alliance for many years to help prevent blood clots and save lives. We are pleased to continue this partnership through the launch of NBCA’s new Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ campaign in recognition of Blood Clot Awareness Month.” Using the latest digital communications tools, the Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ campaign will be reaching millions of people who need to understand how blood clots can affect them and if they may be at risk.  “Research shows that about 75 percent of people in this country know little or nothing about life-threatening blood clots,” explains Michael B. Streiff, MD, FACP, Associate Professor of Medicine and Pathology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland. “Blood clots can be prevented, which makes it crucial for us to raise awareness and, in turn, save lives.” This Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ public education campaign includes a spectrum of integrated digital health education tools, including an online educational portal that offers a downloadable list of blood clot risk factors, a short video about blood clots, and additional information to help people learn more about blood clot risks, signs and symptoms, and prevention.  Learn more by visiting the campaign website at www.stoptheclot.org/spreadtheword.