Diabetes Prevalence Will Rise to 642 million People by 2040, DAN Warns

The Diabetes Association of Nigeria (DAN) has disclosed that there are about 415 million people living with diabetes globally, a situation which is projected to reach 642 million by 2040.

National president of the association, Dr. Mohammed Alkali, who is also the Chief Medical Director [CMD] of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital [ATBUTH], Bauchi, disclosed this on Monday at the opening ceremony of the 2018 world diabetes celebration and 2nd national diabetes workshop organised by DAN held at the hospital.

He explained that November 14 every year is earmarked as the world diabetes day in response to the growing concern on the escalating health threat posed by the disease across the globe and the celebration commenced globally since 1991.

According to him, the theme of this year’s commemoration is ‘The Family and Diabetes’, adding that the theme  targeted the people of all ages considering the fact that the disease is no respecter of age, gender or race as everyone is vulnerable to it.

He said more than 14 million people in the sub-saharan Africa had diabetes in 2015 and were projected to double by 2040.

The DAN president who stated that there are many people who live with the ailment without being diagnosed said the world diabetes day serves as the primary global awareness campaign of the disease calling on government and all stakeholders to give priority attention to controlling it.

Another expert Professor, Sunny Chinenye, who served as guest speaker at the event defined diabetic as ‘a person who has high blood glucose either because they are not producing enough insulin, or because the body does not respond properly to insulin’.

He noted that diabetes is categorized into four types 1, 2, 3 and 4 which affects children, adults, pregnant women and the one that is caused by another diseases.

Chinenye who uncovered that the disease is incurable, pointed out that there is no better treatment for it than frequent taking of medication according to prescription and eating the right foods.