The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday raised concern over the high rate of diabetes cases witnessed around the globe and urged countries to take adequate action to suppress the increase.
It was noted that the number of adults living with diabetes worldwide is beyond 800 million, more than quadrupling since 1990, adding that The Lancet made this known in new data research on World Diabetes Day.
In the disclosure, analysis reviewed by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) with support from the WHO said the result showed that the diabetes epidemic needs to be addressed urgently worldwide, most especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Speaking on the impact of unhealthy food being produced for consumption, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “We have seen an alarming rise in diabetes over the past three decades, which reflects the increase in obesity, compounded by the impacts of the marketing of unhealthy food, a lack of physical activity, and economic hardship.”
Emphasizing the need to tackle this epidemic, Ghebreyesus stated, “To bring the global diabetes epidemic under control, countries must urgently take action. This starts with enacting policies that support healthy diets and physical activity, and, most importantly, health systems that provide prevention, early detection, and treatment.”
Rising to 7% to 14% between 1990 and 2022 in adults, LMICs experienced the largest increases, acknowledging the diabetes rates have increased while access to treatment remains low.
“This trend has led to stark global inequalities: in 2022, almost 450 million adults aged 30 and older—about 59% of all adults with diabetes—remained untreated, marking a 3.5-fold increase in untreated people since 1990. Ninety percent of these untreated adults are living in LMICs,” WHO noted.
With most affected adults aged to be between 18 and older, 20% of those having diabetes are located in the WHO South-East Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean Regions.
WHO noted, “These two regions, together with the African Region, have the lowest rates of diabetes treatment coverage, with fewer than 4 in 10 adults with diabetes taking glucose-lowering medication for their diabetes.”
WHO Response Commitment:
WHO reaffirmed its commitment to address the global diabetes burden; the agency launches a global monitoring framework on diabetes on Wednesday.
The framework contains comprehensive guidance to countries in measuring and evaluating diabetes prevention, care, outcomes, and impacts.
The launched framework aims to keep track of key indicators such as glycaemic control, hypertension, and access to essential medicines, with countries taking note of the improvement as they target interventions and policy initiatives.
These approaches will empower countries to prioritize resources effectively, driving significant improvements in diabetes prevention and care.
In 2021, WHO’s Global Diabetes Compact was launched to reduce the risk of diabetes, ensure that diabetics have access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable, and quality treatment and care, and further prevent type 2 diabetes.
The same year, a diabetes resolution was endorsed at the World Health Assembly, calling member states to prioritise the fight against this epidemic and the management of risk factors such as obesity.
The document from WHO noted, “In 2022, WHO established five global diabetes coverage targets to be achieved by 2030. One of these targets is to ensure that 80% of people with diagnosed diabetes achieve good glycaemic control. Today’s release underlines the scale and urgency of action needed to advance efforts to close the gap.”
It was added that “the upcoming year 2025 presents a significant opportunity to catalyse action against the alarming rise in diabetes worldwide with the Fourth High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) to take place in September.”
“This meeting brings heads of states and governments together to set a powerful vision for preventing and controlling NCDs, including diabetes, through a collective commitment to address root causes and improve access to detection and treatment. By aligning efforts towards the 2030 and 2050 goals, this high-level meeting is a pivotal moment for strengthening global health systems, including primary health care, and halting the rise in the diabetes epidemic.”
