World Health Day 2016 : "Halt the Rise: Beat Diabetes"

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  • Diabetes is a chronic disease which is increasing at an alarming rate
  • For India and other low- and middle-income countries, it is an ever growing concern
  • It is preventable and treatable, though cannot be completely cured
The World Health Day is a global health campaign celebrated on April 7th every year under the leadership of World Health Organization (WHO) to promote awareness amongst common people regarding health issues and concerns. WHO is a health organization working under UN which primarily addresses health issues on a global platform.

The WHO organizes various events and programs on this day related to a particular theme on national as well as international levels.

The theme for this year’s campaign is “Halt the Rise: Beat Diabetes”.
In India, with the title of the ‘diabetes capital of the world’, the disease has become an ever growing concern. If you are diagnosed with diabetes, it means that your blood sugar is too high. In type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin and most likely need insulin injections on a regular basis in order to survive. In type 2 diabetes, your body does not make own insulin or is not able to use insulin well. The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes, which is seen in nearly 90% of the cases.

The third type of diabetes is known as gestational diabetes. Even though it is a temporary condition, you need to be very careful about it as it could lead to some serious complications including birth defects, abnormally large babies and risk of caesarean section.

If not controlled well, then persistent high blood sugar could lead to heart attack , stroke, kidney failure, nerve damage and other diseases. However, many research results show that simple diet changes can be associated with a reduced risk/better management of type 2 diabetes.

World Health Day 2016: Main Focus

  • Diabetes is a chronic disease, which is on a rapid rise and increasing at an alarming rate especially in low- and middle-income countries. WHO estimates that diabetes could be the 7thleading cause of death by 2030 if not managed or treated promptly.
  • Diabetes is treatable.Even though diabetes cannot be cured completely, it can be treated and controlled. Taking your diabetes medication(s) regularly, checking your blood glucose leveles frequently and following special diabetes eating plan are some of the ways of treating it.
  • Diabetes is preventable. By adopting some simple lifestyle measures, you could reduce the risk of diabetes. These include maintaining ideal body weight, eating a well-balanced diet, keeping active and fit by exercising regularly – all these have been shown to be effective in preventing or delaying the one set of type 2 diabetes.
  • For reducing premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by 1/3rdby the year 2030, it is important to be able to treat diabetes effectively. To be able to achieve this, we need governments, employers, manufacturers, educators, civil society, media and individuals to work collectively and contribute their bit.