From Ahmad Mohammed, Bauchi
The Diabetes Association of Nigeria (DAN) has explained that with good self-management and health professional support, people with diabetes can live a long and healthy life .
The association offered the explanation yesterday at the opening ceremony of the 2018 World Diabetes Day celebration and 2nd national diabetes workshop organized by DAN held at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital [ATBUTH], Bauchi Guest speaker at the occasion, Professor Sunny Chinenye defined a diabetic as ‘a person who has high blood glucose either because they are not producing enough insulin, or because the body does not respond properly to insulin’.
He said that diabetes is categorized into four types 1, 2, 3 and 4 which affects children, adults, pregnant women and the one that is caused by other diseases.
Chinenye said that the disease is incurable, “ there is no better treatment for it than frequent taking of medication according to prescription and eating the right foods, poorly managed diabetes leads to serious complications and early death.
However, with ”good self-management and health professional support, people with diabetes can live a long, healthy life.”
National President of the association, Dr Mohammed Alkali who is also the Chief Medical Director,CMD, of ATBUTH explained that 14th November every year was earmarked as the World Diabetes Day in response to the growing concern about the escalating health threat posed by the disease across the globe and the celebration commenced globally since 1991.
He said , the theme of this year’s commemoration was ‘The family and Diabetes” adding that the theme targeted the people of all ages considering the fact that the disease is no respecter of age, gender or race as everyone is vulnerable to the disease.
Alkali said more than 14 million people in the sub-Saharan Africa had diabetes in 2015 and were projected to double by 2040.
The DAN president said that there are many people who live with the ailment without being diagnosed said the world diabetes day serves as the primary global awareness campaign of the disease calling on government and all stakeholders to give priority attention to controlling it.
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