A new initiative called “Global Hearts” has been launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) to beat back the threat of heart disease.

Heart attacks and strokes are the world’s leading cause of death.

These diseases kill more than 17 million people globally, rich and poor alike, the agency says.

The project aims to scale up measures to reduce salt and tobacco use and strengthen health care services for dealing with cardiovascular disease.

WHO Spokesperson Dr Etienne Krug explained to Mustafa Al Gamal that all countries are affected by this problem.

Duration: 4’25’’