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Health Reporter
Zimbabwe yesterday joined World Diabetes Day commemorations as the world seeks to come up with strategies that can be implemented collectively and individually for better prevention, diagnosis and management of the condition.
Diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease characterised by elevated levels of blood glucose (or blood sugar), which leads over time to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves.
It is estimated that at least 10 percent of the adult population in Zimbabwe is living with diabetes mellitus.
However, 50 percent of these people are not aware of their condition, while those who have been diagnosed have challenges in accessing drugs and insulin injections.
This year, World Diabetes Day was commemorated under the theme, “Access to diabetes care”, recognising the critical role of access to quality diabetes care in improving the lives of people with diabetes.
The theme highlights the urgent need to address the disparities in diabetes care worldwide and ensuring that everyone, regardless of their location or socio-economic status, has equal access to essential information, technologies, and support services necessary to manage their diabetes effectively and prevent complications.
World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organisation in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes.
It became an official United Nations Day in 2006 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225.
World Diabetes Day is marked every year on November 14, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.
It has become the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching a global audience of over 1 billion people in more than 160 countries.
The campaign draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public and political spotlight.
Online Reporter