FORUM: ”Diabetes and Wellbeing.” World Diabetes Day 2024. This year’s sub-theme, “Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps: Uniting to strengthen Diabetes wellbeing” underpins our commitment to reducing the risk of diabetes, and ensuring that all people who are diagnosed with diabetes have access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable and quality treatment and care. Join us in raising awareness, spreading knowledge and creating lasting change for all affected by diabetes. Activities will also celebrate the experiences of people with all forms of diabetes to help those impacted to take action, including seeking and obtaining essential care. Take a short survey to share your experience of how living with diabetes, or caring for someone who does, affects your physical and mental well-being. Support our call for well-being to be put at the heart of diabetes care; Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #Diabeteslife, #14November, #WorldDiabetesDay, #AccesstoDiabetesCare.
EVENTS: The observance of the World Diabetes Day 2024 will bring attention to the importance of personalized care for millions of people living with diabetes in the Regions. Research shows that patient education plays a crucial role in the management of chronic non-communicable diseases at both population and individual level, which is why person-centred, tailored diabetes care is essential. Explore the worldwide events learn more about activities in your country!
On November 13th, 2024. from 14:00 – 15:00 (Central European Time); The WHO and International Diabetes Federation organized a joint webinar entitled Breaking barriers and bridging gaps: Uniting to strengthen Diabete wellbeing. This webinar will focus on enhancing diabetes well-being by discussing diabetes-related stigma, promoting mental health and fostering a collaborative approach to care. The agenda includes powerful personal stories from people living with diabetes, interactive Kahoot sessions, spotlights on current initiatives from WHO and IDF and a panel discussion with experts. Register to participates!
On November 14th, 2024 from 12:00 – 15:00 in commemoration of World Diabetes Day 2024, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean is organizing a thought-provoking and informative 3-hour webinar under this year theme.
On November 14th, 2024, The WHO Regional Office for Africa will organize a seminar entitled “Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps”, underlining the commitment to reducing risk, and ensuring that everyone diagnosed with diabetes has access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable and quality treatment and care.
On November 14th, 2024 from 16:00 – 17:00 (Central European Time), The PAHO in collaboration with the WHO, is hosting a hybrid event in Mexico City to commemorate World Diabetes Day 2024, which will be broadcast via Zoom. The event will highlight regional successes, challenges and opportunities in diabetes prevention and control.
INITIATIVES: Join the Global Diabetes Walk, an initiative created by the World Diabetes Foundation in support of World Diabetes Day. Take to the streets to raise awareness of the impact of diabetes and the importance of physical activity.
Message of WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti on World Diabetes Day 2024; November 14th.
Against a background of rising diabetes prevalence in Africa, complicated by multiple drivers including urbanization, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity, the theme of World Diabetes Day Day 2024 appropriately emphasizes the imperative of a collaborative approach to this “silent killer”.
World Diabetes Day is marked annually by the international community on 14 November, with this year’s theme, “Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps”, underlining World Health Organization’s (WHO) commitment to reducing risk, and ensuring that everyone diagnosed with diabetes has access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable and quality treatment and care.
Diabetes, a chronic lifelong disease that leads to uncontrolled blood sugar levels because the body can no longer produce or use the insulin it produces efficiently.
In the WHO African Region alone, more than 24 million adults are currently living with diabetes, half of whom remain undiagnosed. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to complications such as heart disease, stroke, nerve damage, kidney failure, lower-limb amputation, and eye disease that can result in blindness.
Without urgent interventions, predictions are that the number of people living with diabetes in the African Region will rise to 54 million by 2045,[1],[2] the highest projected increase globally. This poses a significant dual health and economic burden, including catastrophic spending by individuals to control their disease.
Compounding the challenge is that Africa has the lowest investment rate in diabetes care worldwide, at only 1% of the region’s health expenditure. Health systems are also traditionally designed to deal with acute, infectious diseases, without sufficient attention paid to chronic diseases like diabetes.
Managing diabetes requires a sustained effort to balance physical health activity, healthy diet, mental well-being, and WHO in the African Region is committed to holistic solutions, including proper nutrition, access to the requisite essential medicines, and mental health support. Equally crucial are comprehensive prevention strategies to address risk factors including obesity, poor diet and physical activity, combined with community engagement to ensure good support systems and reduced stigma.
In an important step forward at the Seventy-fourth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in August this year, African Member States endorsed WHO’s Framework for the Implementation of the Global Diabetes Compact (GDC) in Africa. Focused specifically on the challenge of integrating diabetes care into broader health systems in a multi-sectoral approach, it provides a roadmap for countries to strengthen diabetes prevention, diagnosis and care, especially at primary health care level.
On World Diabetes Day today, I urge individuals, communities, governments, health workers, policymakers and civil society organizations to join hands and act now. For individuals, prioritize healthy lifestyle, and if you’re already living with diabetes, have regular medical check-ups.
Communities can play their role by creating supportive environments that promote healthy living, reduce stigma, and provide access to affordable diabetes care and education. For governments, we commit our full support to your efforts to implement policies that enhance access to essential medicines, strengthen primary health care systems, and foreground investment in diabetes prevention and care.
Strengthening diabetes control in the African region demands that we address key gaps, including myths and misconceptions about diabetes, fragile primary health care systems and insufficient capacity and training of health care workers.
Together, let us all commit to breaking down the barriers and addressing the gaps, by raising awareness, spreading knowledge, and creating lasting change for everyone in Africa affected by diabetes.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti.
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