In the run-up to World Diabetes Day 2022, Breaking Barrier Youth Initiative organized a Diabetes talk to sensitize members on this chronic non-communicable disease. It was an honor to be invited to give a keynote presentation on the disease and explain more about World Diabetes Day commemorated annually on 14th November.
Diabetes is a group of conditions where the body cannot produce enough or any insulin, cannot properly use the insulin that is produced, or cannot do a combination of either. When any of these things happen, the body is unable to get sugar from the blood into your cells. This can lead to high blood sugar levels. Glucose, the form of sugar found in your blood, is one of your main energy sources. A lack of insulin or a resistance to insulin causes sugar to build up in your blood. This can lead to health problems.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the prevalence of diabetes in Kenya at 3.3% and predicts a rise to 4.5% by 2025. However, fears are emerging that two-thirds of diabetics may be undiagnosed. Globally, WHO estimates that about 422 million people worldwide have diabetes, the majority living in low-and middle-income countries, and 1.5 million deaths are directly attributed to diabetes each year.
With the staggering statistics, World Diabetes Day is a unique opportunity to raise awareness of diabetes as a global public health issue and what needs to be done, collectively and individually, for better prevention, diagnosis, and management of the condition. The theme for 2022, ‘access to diabetes education’, underpins the larger multi-year theme of ‘access to care.’
During my presentation, I talked about the common types of diabetes; type 1 and 2, the symptoms, and the prevention and control mechanism. I ended my talk by emphasizing that we all have a critical role to play in combatting chronic non-communicable diseases.
ODUOR KEVIN 