A new World Health Organization (WHO) report says the number of Caribbean nationals living with diabetes has tripled since 1980, adding that one in 12 inhabitants live with diabetes in the Americas.
On Wednesday, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said diabetes is currently the fourth-leading cause of death in the hemisphere, following heart attacks, strokes and dementia.
The health organisation says if current trends continue, experts estimate that nearly 110 million people in the region will have diabetes by 2040.
The first Global Report on Diabetes from WHO is being launched this week in Geneva and Mexico City as part of the 2016 World Health Day campaign, which is dedicated to diabetes.
The WHO report highlights the urgency of stepping up efforts to prevent and control diabetes, particularly through public policies that support healthy lifestyles and by ensuring that health systems are able to promptly diagnose, treat and care for people with diabetes.
“The best way to prevent diabetes is for people to follow a healthy diet, avoiding ultra-processed foods and sugary beverages that are high in calories and low in nutrients, and to engage in regular physical activity to help maintain a healthy body weight,” said PAHO’s Dominican-born director Dr Carissa F Etienne.
Preventing diabetes, however, “is not just an individual responsibility,” Etienne noted.
