14 November: World Diabetes Day

World Diabetes Day (WDD) is celebrated annually on 14 November. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) established World Diabetes Day in 1991. It became an official United Nations Day in 2006.

World Diabetes Day aims to:

be the platform to promote IDF advocacy efforts throughout the year, and
be the global driver to promote the importance of taking coordinated and concerted actions to confront diabetes as a critical global health issue.

The blue circle logo was adopted in 2007, signifying the unity of the global diabetes community in response to the diabetes epidemic.

The 2016 theme for World Diabetes Day is ‘Eyes on Diabetes.’ The key messages are (1) screening for type 2 diabetes is important to reduce the riks of complications, and (2) screening for diabetes complications is an essential part of managing all types of diabetes. Early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and treatment is essential.

Diabetes is an increasing issue with 415 million adults living with diabetes in 2015. This is expected to increase to about 642 million by 2040. One in two adults with diabetes is undiagnosed. Many people live with type 2 diabetes for a long time without being aware of their condition. One of the complications with undiagnosed diabetes is the onset of vision impairment and blindness. Up to 70% of type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented or delayed by adopting healthier lifestyles.

With increasing levels of poor nutrition and physical inactivity among children in many countries, type 2 diabetes in childhood has the potential to lead to serious health outcomes. About 12% of the total global expenditure on health is currently spent on adults with diabetes.

Of the over 400 million adults with diabetes, there are about 5 million deaths annually. In many countries, diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, cardiovascular (heart) disease, kidney failure, and lower limb amputation. More than 93 million adults (one in three adults) currently has diabetic retinopathy, which leads to vision loss.

http://www.idf.org/wdd-index/about.html

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. That

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog