Red Dress Day to raise awareness of women’s health in Croatia 

Zdravka Poljakovic, Dinah Vodanović, Arijana Lovrenčić-Huzjan, Marina Roje Bedeković, Svjetlana Šupe, Vesna Matijević (Photo: Zvonimir Ferina)

For the third year in a row, the Croatian Medical Association, Croatian Neurological Society and the City Health Office of the City of Zagreb are co-organising withthe School of Public Health Andrija Štampar and the Medical Faculty of the University of Zagreb, the health-educational Red Dress Day. 

The goal of the Red Dress Day campaign is to raise public awareness about the specifics of strokes in women, to draw attention to the devastating consequences of ignoring symptoms and the need for lifestyle changes. 

The organising committee of this commendable action consists of experts from KBC Sestre Milosrdnice and KBC Zagreb – neurologists Arijana Lovrenčić-Huzjan, Zdravka Poljaković, Marina Roje Bedeković, Vesna Matijević and Svjetlana Šupe and speech therapist Dinah Vodanović.

“In an atmosphere of a pandemic and recent earthquakes, we feel obliged to speak even louder about this topic because COVID-19 poses a risk of strokes as well as the emotional tension to which women in stressful situations are particularly exposed. We have to take care of our own health because most strokes can be prevented by a healthy lifestyle, and if a stroke occurs, timely recognition of symptoms and quick reaction is crucial for treatment,”- says the president of the Croatian Neurological Society prof. dr. sc. Zdravka Poljakovic.  

The action is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Health and the Mayor of Zagreb, and an important contribution was made by sponsors Berlin Chemie Menarini, Boehringer, Bina Istra, Eli-Lilly, Endress + Hauser, Fresenius, Ghetaldus, Makpharm, Matkon, Nicro, Novartis, Pliva, Sandoz and Zubak group.

In anticipation of Red Dress Day, public appearances of experts and professional gatherings will be organised, and the solemn celebration of the action will be held on February 5 at the Croatian Music Institute and will be available online. 

Illustration: Petra Huzjan

The stars of the evening this year will be women who survived a stroke and who will wear red creations by Croatian designers Andrijana Subotić Pjajčik, Đurđica Vorkapić, Ivica Skoka, Lana Puljić, Martina Herak and Zoran Aragović.

On social networks, the action will be marked by the hashtag #nosicrveno, which invites everyone to wear something red on February 5 and thus provide support.

Details about the Red Dress Day can be followed on the website of the Croatian Neurological Society https://neuro-hr.org/ and on the Facebook page www.facebook.com/Dan-crenih-haljina.