It gives me great pleasure to join the rest of the world in celebrating World Diabetes Day, today, 14 November 2010, under the theme “Diabetes Education and Prevention”, which is the main focus of action for the period 2009–2013. On this day, WHO engages people in a worldwide campaign focusing on diabetes advocacy, awareness and effective prevention and control.
Diabetes is a serious chronic, debilitating and costly disease that imposes life-long demands on people living with the disease and on their families. It is estimated that some 220 million people worldwide currently suffer from diabetes and that by the year 2030 this number is likely to more than double if effective interventions are not undertaken. This disease, previously thought to be rare or undocumented in rural Africa, has over the past few decades emerged as a major noncommunicable disease in sub-Saharan Africa.
In sub-Saharan Africa current trends suggest that diabetes prevalence is estimated to increase and contribute to 6% of total mortality in 2010. Should current trends continue, sub-Saharan Africa will see a 98% increase from 12.1 million cases in 2010 to 23.9 million cases in 2030. Surveys carried out recently in the WHO African Region indicate that diabetes prevalence among adults aged 25-64 years ranges from 3% to 14.5%.
Deaths due to diabetes occur among people aged 20–39 years, the most economically productive population. The direct economic cost of diabetes in terms of medical care and loss of human resources in Africa is substantial. This is increased by the high burden of diabetes consequences such as neurological and vascular complications, visual disorders, heart diseases, strokes and kidney failure along with other chronic diseases.
A high proportion of diabetes cases remain undiagnosed and many cases are diagnosed late, usually after complications have become evident. Furthermore a significant number of diabetes patients in Africa do not have access to proper treatment and diabetes medicines especially insulin, leading to the onset of avoidable complications.
We should continue to build on what we have achieved in creating local and regional awareness of diabetes and strengthening individual and community actions through empowerment to prevent the disease and its many life-and-health-threatening complications.
Reversing the current trend of diabetes in the Region is feasible if ministries of health and communities work together towards the reduction of diabetes risk factors such as overweight, obesity, physical inactivity, low consumption of fruits and vegetables, and increased consumption of foods high in fat and energy. The WHO Regional Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Diabetes and the recent Mauritius Call for Action are tools to support this reversal. These tools identify key strategies and commitments urgently required in order to plan and implement national diabetes control programmes that should help reduce the burden of diabetes in Africa.
I call upon all African governments to develop and implement comprehensive and integrated diabetes prevention and control programmes and action plans including prevention of risk factors, improve quality of care and address structural determinants influencing health outcomes.
Local authorities as well as community health leaders are encouraged to use all the appropriate means of communication to improve awareness of diabetes and empower communities in its prevention and care.
I call upon diabetes patients, people at high risk of diabetes and the general public to improve their knowledge of the disease and the management and prevention of the attendant complications.
To address the increasing burden of diabetes we should accelerate the pace of our intervention. Let us take control over diabetes. We have to do all we can NOW.
Thank you