Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure, heart attack, blindness, leg amputations, and stroke. 500 million people across the globe are diabetic.
The main challenge in controlling diabetes rising rates across the globe is a lack of awareness and poor access to the proper treatment. Thus, World Diabetes Day came into existence intending to bring in global efforts to fight against this disease.
World Diabetes Day History
Both the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization (WHO) came together with the World Diabetes Day idea in 1991. The idea of this day is to reach out to the world with an awareness program regarding diabetes and to come together to fight this disease.
November 14 was selected as it is the birthday date of Sir Frederick Banting. He is the co-discoverer of insulin (in 1922) that helps in fighting diabetes.
The forum idea came into existence in 1991. But UN adopted the idea of the importance of multilateral efforts in increasing awareness and improvising human health by providing communication, and access to treatment in 2007. Thus, in 2007 14 November became UN official World Diabetes Day.
World Diabetes Day Objective
Diabetes is a treatable disease. It requires proper care and treatment. If left untreated it can result in numerous serious consequences. It is therefore, through proper medication and treatment, the complications of diabetes can be avoided.
The World Diabetes day aims to reach wider audiences across the globe with the following objectives:
- 1. Be the forum promoting the IDF efforts across the globe
- 2. To raise awareness regarding the disease,
- 3. Eliminate stigma and taboos associated with the disease
- 4. To be a platform promoting the importance of coordinated efforts and actions for overcoming diabetic rise across the globe.
- 5. Promote the development of the proper health infrastructures for treatment
- 6. Support people who are susceptible to or fighting against Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease that occurs when our body fails to produce enough insulin or when it becomes resistant to insulin. With decreased levels of insulin, our body is unable to process glucose from the blood to release energy.