By Sule Aliyu, Bauchi
The National President of the Diabetes Association of Nigeria [DAN] Dr Mohammed Alkali who is also the Chief Medical Director [CMD] of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital [ATBUTH] Bauchi has disclosed that no fewer than 415 million people in the world live with diabetes.
Alkali who made this disclosure in a press statement issued to Journalists a copy of which was made available to national trail in Bauchi on the association’s preparation to celebrate the World Diabetes Day [WDD] on 14th of November this year in Abuja said diabetes has assumed a global endemic position and was the dominant Non Communicable Disease that constitutes a major health challenge particularly in developing countries.
“In the year 2015, there were about 415 million people living with diabetes (PLWD) which is projected to reach 642 million by 2040. More than 14 million people in the sub-saharan Africa had diabetes in 2015 and are projected to double by 2040. Although there is no current National prevalence survey in Nigeria, a prevalence of 2.8% was reported in 2015 and more than 60% are undiagnosed’’, he pointed out.
He added that 14th November every year was earmarked by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as the World Diabetes Day (WDD) since 1991 and it became an official United Nations day in 2006 via resolution 61/225.
According to him, the World Diabetes Day ‘serves as the primary global awareness campaign of the disease opining that cases could be prevented by lifestyle modification which required a high political will.
“The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘’WOMEN AND DIABETES-Our right to a healthy future’’. It has been realized that 1 in 7 births globally is affected by gestational diabetes and currently 199 million women are living with diabetes which is projected to reach 313 million by 2040. Moreover, 2 out of every women living with the disease are in their reproductive age. Although data in the country are scanty, the scenario is not encouraging as we already have a bad maternal mortality situation’’.
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