Every 14^th of November, the World Diabetes Day is celebrated to raise awareness on persons affected by this disease whose numbers seem to increase over the years. According to WHO, by 2030, diabetes will consequently be among the top 10 most widespread diseases in the world. Notably, the Philippines has more than three (3) million adults with diabetes as of the 2017 records.

With this month’s family-centered theme, the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) has aligned it to the current IDF strategic plan. This two-year time frame will facilitate the planning, developing, promoting, and participating of the said event. It focuses on raising awareness of the impact diabetes has on the family. It also highlights the family’s role in diabetes management, care, prevention, and education of. The IDF will begin releasing promotional materials and campaigns this November for World Diabetes Day to raise awareness about the disease.

Based on the data provided by IDF, the Philippines is one of the 28 nation members of the IDF Western Pacific Region that has more than 5% of prevalence of diabetes in adults. The IDF recorded 6.2% in the Philippines for 2017. This totals the cases of affected Filipino adults to 3,721,900. By 2045, the persons with diabetes in the Western Pacific Region will rise to 183 million out of the affected 425 million people in the world. Right now, less than 1 in 4 family members have access to diabetes education programs. So far, there is no cure to diabetes. We currently only have preventive and management treatments to lessen the effects it has on a person.

Moreover, the WHO stated that the starting point for living well with diabetes is an early diagnosis. The longer a person lives with undiagnosed and untreated diabetes, the worse his or her health conditions are likely to be. A series of cost-effective interventions can improve their outcomes, regardless of what type of diabetes they may have. These interventions include blood glucose control which is combined with a healthy diet, physical activity and, if necessary, medication.

Sources:
https://www.idf.org/our-network/regions-members/western-pacific/members/116-the-philippines.html
https://idf.org/component/attachments/attachments.html?id=1633&task=download

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