"Act F.A.S.T." is the message from Mayo General Hospital who recently hosted two successful public information days on stroke, in association with local Heart & Stroke Charity, Croí. Several hundred members of the general public were greeted in the main foyer of the hospital by healthcare professionals specialised in stroke, who were promoting the key messages of the Stroke F.A.S.T. campaign. These information days, which took place on the 11th and 14th of March, served to raise public awareness on how to recognise a stroke and highlighted the urgent need to act F.A.S.T. and call 999 immediately if somebody is suspected of having a stroke.

A joint initiative between the HSE in Mayo and local Heart & Stroke Charity, Croí has seen the month of March designated as Mayo Stroke Awareness Month. This month-long campaign, which includes a number of public information events, aims to raise awareness about stroke in Mayo, and communicate key messages on stroke recognition and prevention.

Clinical Nurse Specialist in Stroke Care in Mayo General Hospital, Niamh Murtagh explains why every member of the public should know the Stroke F.A.S.T. message "Stroke is a medical emergency. It destroys two million brain cells every minute so Time Is Brain. If you suspect that somebody is having a stroke, call 999 immediately".

F.A.S.T. stands for:

• F - Face - Has the face fallen on one side? Can they smile?
• A - Arms - Can they raise both arms and keep them there?
• S - Speech - Is their speech slurred?
• T - Time - Time to call 999 if you see any single one of these signs.

For further information about the Stroke F.A.S.T. campaign please contact Niamh Murtagh, Stroke Care CNS in Mayo General Hospital on 094 9042000 or for more information about Mayo Stroke Awareness Month please contact Ailish Houlihan, Croí Nurse on 094-9049172 or email ailish@croi.ie