TEHRAN – The Ministry of Health will organize National Diabetes Week from November 8 to 14 to raise public awareness of the dangers of diabetes to health, improve the lives of diabetic patients and highlight the urgent need for prevention, early detection and treatment of this disease.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the health of individuals and society. It affects all stages of life, including childhood, reproductive age, working age and productivity, and old age. Preventing, managing, and improving the quality of life of people with diabetes is important throughout their lives.
Each day of the week will focus on a specific topic.
Saturday, November 8th “Diabetes Across Life Stages”
Sunday, November 9th “Diabetes and Education”
Monday, November 10th “Diabetes and the Media”
Tuesday, November 11th “Diabetes and effective policymaking”
Wednesday, November 12th “Diabetes and Nutrition”
Thursday, November 13th “Diabetes and the workplace”
Friday, November 14th “Diabetes and Physical Activity”
According to the Ministry of Health, the proportion of adults suffering from diabetes in Iran has reached 14.2 percent, which is higher than the world average, Mehr news agency reported.
More than 9 million people in Iran have prediabetes, and at least 500,000 people are newly diagnosed with diabetes each year.
In Iran, at least 14 percent of people over the age of 25 have diabetes, and the number is estimated to be more than 7.5 million. If adults with impaired glucose tolerance (prediabetes) are also taken into account, the number of people with prediabetes reaches approximately 20 million over the age of 25.
Diabetes is characterized by elevated blood sugar (blood sugar) levels, which over time can cause severe damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. The most common type is type 2 diabetes, which usually occurs in adults. This occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or no longer produces enough insulin.
Over the past three decades, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has increased dramatically in countries at all income levels. Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic disease in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin on its own. For people living with diabetes, affordable access to treatments such as insulin is critical to survival. There is a globally agreed goal to halt the rise in diabetes and obesity by 2025.
This year’s World Health Organization (WHO) World Diabetes Day theme, ‘Diabetes across life stages’, recognizes that all people living with diabetes should have access to integrated care, supportive environments and policies that promote health, dignity and self-management. The campaign emphasizes the importance of a life course approach to diabetes prevention, management and overall health.
World Diabetes Day is a global opportunity for people with diabetes, health professionals, advocates, policy makers and the public to come together to raise awareness and take action on diabetes.
Millions of people with diabetes face daily challenges in managing their diabetes condition, including stigma, discrimination, and exclusion in the workplace. This problem negatively affects their well-being.
Approximately 7 out of 10 people living with diabetes are of working age. Three out of four people living with diabetes experience anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions as a result of their diabetes.
So, on November 14th, World Diabetes Day, the International Diabetes Federation is calling on society to “Know more and do more about diabetes in the workplace.”
MT/MG