November 14 is usually set aside by United Nations and world Health organization to commemorate the World Diabetes Day because of the peculiarity of the health condition. It’s used to raise awareness campaign with focus on Diabetes Mellitus and what measures to be taken collectively and individually for prevention diagnosis and management of the condition.
Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your body glucose also called blood sugar is high. Blood glucose is the main source of energy and comes from the food we consume. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas helps the glucose from the food get into the cells to be used for energy. It’s a medical condition that occurs due to limited production of secretion of insulin, responsible for controlling glucose levels in the blood from the pancreas.
From records, over 460 million people are living with diabetes across the globe. One in two adults with type 2 diabetes is unaware of their condition. The number of people living with diabetes is growing rapidly and the lack of access to diagnosis and treatment is causing unnecessary suffering and death especially in low and middle income countries.
It’s a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stoke and lower limb amputation.
People suffering from diabetes are vulnerable to other health complication as it’s been highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic which has resulted to the high rate of hospitalized patients with severe signs of Covid 19.
It is pertinent to note that millions of people with diabetes do not have access to diabetes care. They require constant care and support to manage their condition and avoid complications. The centenary of the discovery of insulin presents a unique opportunity to bring meaningful change for the more than 400 million persons living with diabetes
The theme of this year’s celebration is Access to Diabetes care. Primary Health Care facilities lack the basic technologies or required medicines needed to diagnose and manage diabetes which is unaffordable for low income earners in most developing countries.
There is need for the government and the World Health Organization to adopt some measures for the prevention and create the accessibility for health care
There is need for the improvement of the health work force and the capacity of the health institutions on early detection and to manage the condition.
They should ensure the sufficiency of insulin in the national essential medicines list. Also, the promotion of healthy diet, regular physical activity and avoidance of tobacco and work with the relevant sectors to address the issue of poor diet and the barriers preventing a healthy lifestyle.
It’s also adequate to develop and strengthen the monitoring systems to determine the disease and death resulting from diabetes, filling the diabetes gap and health care performance status.
The state governments have adopted the campaign as the first lady of Imo state government, Barr. Mrs. Chioma Uzodinma on the event of the World Diabetes Day emphasized on the need for everyone to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle while still attending regular checkups as it go a long way in preventing most of the ailments. She explained that diabetes can be managed with proper screening if detected.
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The state governments have adopted the campaign as the first lady of Imo state government, Barr. Mrs. Chioma Uzodinma on the event of the World Diabetes Day emphasized on the need for everyone to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle while still attending regular checkups as it go a long way in preventing most of the ailments. She explained that diabetes can be managed with proper screening if detected.
