The theme of this year’s World Health Day was “Beat Diabetes!” In their first global report about the disease, the Word Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the importance of prevention and treatment. The number of adults living with diabetes worldwide reached 422 million in 2014 – four times as many as in 1980. That is roughly the equivalent to the populations of US, Canada and France combined. It is becoming one of the major global public health problems, most notably with low and middle-income populations and the implications are many. In 2012, more than 1.5 million deaths were linked directly to diabeteDiabetess.

Diabetes is a disease that is caused when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body is not able to use it efficiently, therefore leading to high blood-glucose levels. It is a chronic disease, meaning that there is no cure, and it requires constant, lifelong medical care. The disease mainly affects the circulatory and neurological systems, but also has an impact on many organs, including the eyes and kidneys. Overtime, and if not properly managed, people with diabetes can suffer heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, nerve damage and vision loss. Blood vessel and nerve damage can also lead to serious infections and if severe, can require toe, foot or leg amputation. The medical implications are serious.

Who is at risk?
• People who are overweight or obese
• Those with a family history of diabetes
• Certain ethnic backgrounds (African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Asian American or Pacific Islander)
• People 45 years of age or older
• Women who had gestational diabetes or gave birth to a baby weighing 9 pounds or more
• Those with high blood pressure
• People with abnormal cholesterol levels
• People leading sedentary lifestyles (physically active less than three times a week)

Source: WHO http://www.who.int/mediacentre/infographic/diabetes/en/

Prevention:

Everyone can take individual steps to prevent diabetes, like eating healthy, engaging in physical activity at least 3 times a week, checking blood glucose levels and maintaining an ideal weight. It is also important to teach young children about the importance of healthy living – and this is best taught through example. That said it is also crucial that governments play an active role in ensuring that people can make healthy choices by offering people access to healthcare that offers screening and diagnosis as well as treatment and care when necessary. This approach has to go beyond healthcare systems, which are more about treatment. Prevention includes systems that integrate agriculture, urban planning (more playgrounds, parks, and bicycle paths), nutrition, transportation and education.