Kenya
Tackles Rising Diabetes Cases
Health Experts in Kenya are launching a public
health campaign to educate the people and increase awareness
about diabetes, which is on the increase.
The rising cases from 3.5 per cent to 10 per cent, was
attributed to changing life style and ignorance among the
people.
Dr William Maina, the head of the non-communicable diseases unit
at Kenya’s Ministry of Health, is worried about changing
lifestyles, attributed to eating habits prevalent among the
people.
The focus of the campaign, according to Dr Maina is diets “today
we are seeing more people consuming unhealthy foods; foods that
are high in carbohydrates, high in sugars, high in salts, high
in fats. At the same time we are seeing people lead more
sedentary lifestyles. This is exposing them to risks.”
A Medical officer, Dr Osborn Tembu, who runs a clinic for
diabetes sufferers every Thursday, was not surprised about the
ignorance of the people.
He said “most people don’t visit the hospital until the symptoms
get quite severe. For months people can be walking around with
elevated sugar levels, which can be very harmful. The vast
majority of people in the villages don’t know about diabetes.
They are aware of the infectious diseases but diabetes, no.”
Proactive measure
They are educating the people while exercises and the right food
can avert diabetes, restoring the correct sugar concentration in
the blood in some patients, can only be achieved with prescribed
insulin.
The World Diabetes Foundation, which is issuing grave warnings
that diabetes is turning into a pandemic, estimates that in the
developing world a quarter of people who have diabetes don’t
realise it.
Its symptoms include thirst, aching joints, failing eyesight and
loss of balance and a persistent cold among others.
Diabetes is already responsible for as many deaths as HIV/AIDS;
about 300 million worldwide every year, but it gets nothing like
the attention and publicity.
African-News/QASIM/YINKA
