United Nations (UN) World Diabetes Day is celebrated annually on 14th November, to raise awareness of diabetes as a global public health issue and effective responsibility to be undertaken collectively and individually, for better prevention, diagnosis and management of the condition with the theme ‘Access to Diabetes Care’ for 2021-2023.
- 2021 celebrates the 100th year of insulin discovery and highlights the huge gap between the people who need access to insulin to control their diabetes along with essential technologies such as blood glucose meters and test strips.
- On January 23, 1922, Leonard Thompson (14-year-old ) became the first person to receive an insulin injection as treatment for diabetes
Stats About India:
- During 2019, about 77 million people in India suffer from diabetes. China leads the list with 116 million diabetics. According to the National Health Mission, India contributes 15% to the global diabetes burden and only 1% to global diabetes research. Recently there has been an increase in diabetic retinopathy in India.
- The ninth edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas offers projections that continue to put India at the second slot right up to 2045. And the numbers are staggering — just over 134 million Indians will be diabetics in the next 25 years.
World Diabetes Day 2021: Blue Building
On this day, famous buildings and monuments all over the world are lit up in blue to spread the message about World Diabetes day to people. The blue circle is the global symbol for diabetes awareness.
Highlights:
i.Around 463 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes, with Type-2 diabetes that needs to be treated with insulin sensitisers making up about 90 per cent of the cases.
ii.Awareness about the metabolic disorder and tips on maintaining blood sugar levels must be raised to reduce the rise in diabetes figures.
Background:
i.World Diabetes Day (WDD) was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in association with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
ii.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted resolution 61/225 on 20th December 2006 and proclaimed November 14 as World Diabetes Day as United Nations Day from 2007 which adopted a blue circle logo.
iii.November 14 marks the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.
Ways to create awareness:
i.Engaging local or national policy-makers to ensure that all people with diabetes have access to healthcare.
ii.Organising a ‘Learn about diabetes’ event in schools.
iii.Organising or participating in a local diabetes awareness walk.
iv.Lighting up a local landmark, home, or workplace in blue, or arranging an activity with colleagues to raise awareness regarding diabetes.
Note – Around 6% of the world population is suffering from diabetes which is four times the number compared to 1980 and the number is expected to increase to 570 million in 2030.
Diabetes:
Diabetes is also called Diabetes Mellitus, which is a chronic disease caused when the pancreas fails to produce insulin or the body fails to effectively use the insulin produced naturally by the Pancreas which leads to high glucose level called Hyperglycaemia.
- Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and lower limb amputation.
Recent Measures in India:
- The WHO Global Diabetes Compact was launched in April 2021 with an aim to support the countries in implementing programmes that help prevent diabetes and manage diabetes.
About International Diabetes Foundation (IDF):
President – Andrew Boulton, United Kingdom
Headquarters – Brussels, Belgium
