GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- November 14 is World Diabetes Day (WDD). The 2017 focus of WDD is on women, and therefore, the country’s women are invited to attend the activities that have been organized on Tuesday, November 14.
The 2017 theme for WDD is: “Women and Diabetes.”
Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, said the activities planned on Tuesday are of an informative and practical nature.
The activities entail blood glucose testing and measuring blood pressure and the provision of information about diabetes prevention and management at the following pharmacies; Simpson Bay Pharmacy (9.00am to 5.00pm), Philipsburg Pharmacy (9.00am to 11.00am and 5.00pm to 6.30pm, measuring glucose/screening) and St. Peters Pharmacy (8.30am to 11.30am).
Information will be provided about dental and healthy/nutritional lifestyles at CPS Office including measuring glucose and blood pressure, Vineyard Office Park from 2.00pm to 5.00pm; women and girls are invited to attend. Dentist Hilda Guevera will be doing free dental check-ups at CPS.
The Diabetes Foundation of St. Maarten has also contributed to the aforementioned activities along with a number of participating pharmacies.
WDD is led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by IDF and the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes.
WDD became an official United Nations Day in 2006 with the passage of United Nations Resolution 61/225.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.
Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.
Diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death in women globally, causing 2.1 million deaths each year. As a result of socioeconomic conditions, girls and women with diabetes experience barriers in accessing cost-effective diabetes prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and care, particularly in developing countries.
Socioeconomic inequalities expose women to the main risk factors of diabetes, including poor diet and nutrition, physical inactivity, tobacco consumption and harmful use of alcohol.
Two out of every five women with diabetes are of reproductive age, accounting for over 60 million women worldwide. Women with diabetes have more difficulty conceiving and may have poor pregnancy outcomes.
For more information about diabetes, consult your general practitioner or contact the Diabetes Foundation of St. Maarten.
