WHO publishes 1st Diabetes Report

The WHO has published its first Diabetes Report. The numbers provided are alarming: With 422 million affected adults worldwide in 2014, the prevalence of diabetes has almost quadrupled since 1980. The death toll of diabetes was .5 million in 2012, with additional 3.7 million deaths due to diabetes related complications. The fastest rise of the diabetes epidemic is being recorded in low- and middle-income countries.

Thus, diabetes prevalence for TANDEMS field site countries is comparably high, with 6.9% in Peru, 7% in Indonesia, 8.4% in Romania and even 9.8% in South Africa. The WHO’s Diabetes Report shows that diabetes is one of the major non-communicable diseases of our time and deserves careful attention by both private persons and governments. The report does not only present the actual status quo of the disease, it also offers concrete suggestions for the prevention and management of diabetes.

Find the WHO’s Diabetes Report here.