11 Nov 2019

Botswana will join the rest of the world to commemorate World Diabetes Day (WDD) on November 14.

The commemoration will be held at Superfit Gym Indoor Sports Hall in Gaborone.

In an interview with the head of Diabetes Centre at Princess Marina Hospital, based at Block Six Clinic, Dr Aderonke Oyewo said Botswana, like the rest of the world, has a large number of diabetic patients.

The Cuban Ambassador to Botswana, Ms Patricia Guerra is expected  to officiate at the event.

She said World Diabetes Day is the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching a global audience of over one billion people in more than 160 countries.

She said diabetes remains a huge and growing burden locally and internationally, adding that in 2017, 425 million adults were living with diabetes globally and that the number is expected to increase to over 629 million by 2045. She said most of the cases would be Type 2 diabetes, which is largely preventable.

Dr Oyewo said in Botswana, diabetes prevalence is 4.8 per cent, which is approximately 52 500 adults with Type 2 diabetes and said one in two of the adults remain undiagnosed.

She said the IDF 2018 and 2019 theme; The Family and Diabetes indicates that this year’s activities will focus on promoting awareness of the impact that diabetes has on the family and support network of those affected. 

Dr Oyewo said one in two adults with Type 2 diabetes remains undiagnosed, stating that early diagnosis and treatment are essential to prevent the complications of diabetes and achieve healthy outcomes in each individual. Ends