- Diabetes Activists Worldwide Organize Events to Draw Attention toGrowing Pandemic With the Focus on Diabetes in Children and Adolescents
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November 14 is the most important day of the year for the over 250million people with diabetes worldwide. World Diabetes Day draws attention tothe global diabetes epidemic and the need for action to improve care, preventthe disease in those at risk and find a cure. People on every continent, fromcountries as far apart as Australia and Uruguay, have organized activities tomark the day.
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The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World HealthOrganization (WHO) introduced World Diabetes Day more than 15 years ago inresponse to the worrying rise of diabetes around the world. Today the pictureis even more alarming, with the total number of people living with diabetesnow estimated at over 250 million. The figure will continue to grow withoutsignificant action and investment to reverse the trend. One of only a handfulof health days officially recognized by the United Nations, World DiabetesDay is celebrated every year on 14 November-a date chosen to mark thebirthday of Frederick Banting, who is widely credited with the discovery ofinsulin in 1921.
On World Diabetes Day, local, national and international events areorganized to educate the public and inform policy-makers about the need torespond to the diabetes threat. Each year, the campaign centres on a themeestablished by the International Diabetes Federation. This year, the theme isdiabetes in children and adolescents.
Diabetes in Children
Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. It canstrike children at any age, including pre-school children and even toddlers.Over 200 children a day develop type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease thatcannot be prevented. Type 2 diabetes, widely associated with weight gain andlack of exercise, was previously thought to be an adult-only disease. Type 2is now affecting an increasing number of children worldwide.
Diabetes in children is often diagnosed late or is misdiagnosed assomething else such as the flu. One of the campaign goals for World DiabetesDay 2008 is to make the public aware of the most obvious warning signs oftype 1 diabetes: frequent urination, rapid weight loss, lack of energy andextreme thirst. Those closest to the child - family members, school staff,the family doctor - need to know these signs.
The global campaign, led by the International Diabetes Federation, callson diabetes advocates around the world to bring diabetes to light. CampaignDirector Phil Riley explained: "We want people to draw attention to diabetes.We encourage them to do fun things that involve family, friends andcolleagues. We need people with diabetes everywhere to know that they areconnected to a global community."
Bring diabetes to light
On and around World diabetes Day, over 800 buildings and landmark siteswill light in blue for diabetes. The buildings are all listed on the campaignwebsite at http://www.worlddiabetesday.org/monuments and include the Pyramidsin Egypt, Niagara Falls in Canada, the Tower of London in the UK, Christ theRedeemer in Brazil, the United Nations Headquarters in the United States, theBurj al Arab in the UAE, the Sagrada Familia in Spain and the Tokyo Tower inJapan. They are lighting in the blue colour of the diabetes circle, theglobal symbol of diabetes and logo of the World Diabetes Day campaign.
No child should die of diabetes
Dr Martin Silink, President of the International Diabetes Federation,highlighted the serious impact of diabetes that underlies the campaign."While we want people to enjoy the celebrations, we don't want them to losesight of the serious global impact of diabetes. The stark truth is that many,children included, are dying in the developing world because they cannotaccess the medication, monitoring and education they need to survive. It'sbeen 87 years since Banting, Macleod and the team in Toronto discoveredinsulin, yet it still does not reach many of the world's most vulnerablecitizens."
The World Diabetes Day campaign can be followed online athttp://www.worlddiabetesday.org.
Note to editors:
About World Diabetes Day
World Diabetes Day (WDD) is the primary global awareness campaign of thediabetes world. Led by the International Diabetes Federation, the campaign isa multi-stakeholder partnership that involves a broad alliance of diabetesrepresentative organizations, individuals and government agencies. OfficialWorld Diabetes Partners contribute support to help World Diabetes Day reachits goals. The 2008 Official World Diabetes Day Partners are: AstraZeneca,Boston Scientific, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Insulet Corporation, LifeScan, EliLilly, Medtronic, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Pfizer andTakeda. The theme for World Diabetes Day 2009-2013 is 'diabetes preventionand education'.
About the theme: diabetes in children
Type 1 diabetes is growing by 3% per year in children and adolescents,and at an alarming 6% per year among pre-school children. It is estimatedthat 70,000 children under 15 develop type 1 diabetes each year (200 childrena day). Of the estimated 440,000 cases of type 1 diabetes in childrenworldwide, more than a quarter live in South-East Asia, and more than a fifthin Europe. Type 2 diabetes was once seen as a disease of adults. Today, thistype of diabetes is growing at alarming rates in children and adolescents. Inthe US, it is estimated that type 2 diabetes represents between 8 and 45% ofnew-onset diabetes cases in children depending on geographic location. Over a20-year period, type 2 diabetes has doubled in children in Japan, so that itis now more common than type 1. In native and aboriginal children in NorthAmerica and Australia, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes ranges from 1.3 to5.3%. Source: Diabetes Atlas 3rd Edition, International Diabetes Federation,2006.
About the International Diabetes Federation
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is an umbrella organizationof over 200 member associations in more than 160 countries, advocating forthe more than 250 million people with diabetes, their families, and theirhealthcare providers. Its mission is to promote diabetes care, prevention anda cure worldwide. The International Diabetes Federation is an NGO in officialrelations with the World Health Organization and an associated NGO with theUnited Nations Department of Public Information. The International DiabetesFederation leads the World Diabetes Day and Unite for Diabetes campaigns.Additional information is available at http://www.idf.org
SOURCE The International Diabetes Federation (IDF)
