24m adults are living with diabetes in Africa — WHO Regional Director
By Matthew Denis
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti has disclosed that more than 24 million adults in Africa were currently living with diabetes with half of them still undiagnosed.
The Regional Director stated this on Thursday, in her message marking this year’s World Diabetes Day.
Recall that World Diabetes Day is marked annually by the international community on the 14th of November, this year’s theme is “Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps.”
Moeti explained that the theme of this year’s commemoration underlined WHO’s commitment to reducing risk, and ensuring that everyone diagnosed with diabetes has access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable and quality treatment and care.
She said, “Against a background of rising diabetes prevalence in Africa, complicated by multiple drivers including urbanisation, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity, the theme of World Diabetes Day 2024 appropriately emphasises the imperative of a collaborative approach to this ‘silent killer.’”
Diabetes is 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, 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 percent 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,” she said.
The WHO Regional Director stated that managing diabetes required a sustained effort to balance physical health activity, healthy diet, mental well-being, and WHO in the African Region was committed to holistic solutions, including proper nutrition, access to the requisite essential medicines, and mental health support.
She noted that, equally crucial were 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.
Highlighting steps taken by WHO Africa Region to combat the disease, she said, “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.”
Concluding her message, Moeti called individuals, communities, civil societies, governments, health workers to join hands and act against diabetes:
“On World Diabetes Day today, I urge individuals, communities, governments, health workers, policymakers and civil society organisations to join hands and act now. For individuals, prioritise a healthy lifestyle, and if you’re already living with diabetes, have regular medical check-ups.
“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,” she said.
