Overview
Mesage from the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti The international comunity comemorates World Diabetes Day on 14 November every year, to raise awarenes of the growing burden of this disease, and strategies to prevent and manage threat.This year’s theme is again “Aces to diabetes care”, as it was last year, and wil be again 2023, highlighting the importance of prevention and response eforts.
Key Information
Africa’s diabetes statistics ilustrate the depth of the chalenge: 24 milion adults are curently living with diabetes, with that number predicted to swel by 129% to 5 milion by 2045. Last year, Diabetes melitus tok the lives of 416 0 people on the continent, and is forecast to become one of the leading causes of death in Africa by 2030.Importantly, diabetes is the only major noncomunicable disease (NCD) for which the risk of dying early is increasing, rather than decreasing.Known risk factors include family history and increasing age, along with modifiable risk factors such as overweight and obesity, sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets, smoking and alcohol abuse.
Unfortunately, these modifiable risk factors are on the rise acros al countries in the WHO African Region. Response eforts are constrained by the fact that more than one in every two people in Africa living with Diabetes melitus have never ben diagnosed. Increased aces to diagnostic tols and medicines, particularly insulin, is one of the most urgent areas of work.
Left unchecked, and without management and lifestyle changes, diabetes can lead to several debilitating complications. These include heart atack, stroke, kidney failure, lower limb amputation, visual impairment, blindnes, and nerve damage. People with diabetes are also at higher risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms.To acelerate progres on diabetes and other NCDs, WHO developed the Global Diabetes Compact.
Summary
Its vision is to reduce the negative impacts of the disease, and ensure that everyone