Project to help fight childhood diabetes

IN an attempt to address the sudden increase of diabetes in children, Diabetes SA has implemented a countrywide, fun and educational initiative, “Denim for Diabetes”, in schools.

Pupils wear an item of denim as well as an “I’ve escaped my uniform – Denim for Diabetes” sticker, in exchange for a R5 donation per pupil.

From this R5 donation, R2 will be kept by the pupil’s school while R3 will go towards the Port Elizabeth branch of Diabetes SA.

Martin Prinsloo, chairman of the Port Elizabeth branch, said Verkenner Primary School in Linton Grange was the first school in the metro to adopt the initiative and he hoped the official launch at Malabar Primary next month would inspire more schools to adopt it.

“We want to educate schools so pupils know what diabetes is all about and how to recognise it. Teachers should know how to recognise it. Uncontrolled diabetes kills more people every year than HIV/Aids and cancer combined,” Prinsloo said.

He said according to findings from the World Health Organisation and the International Diabetes Federation, Type 1 diabetes was increasing fastest in pre-school children, at a rate of 5% per year.

He said every year 70 000 children under the age of 14 developed Type 1 diabetes and over half of children with diabetes developed complications within 15 years.

“We are hoping our event next month will put this project on the map as this is why we need to educate more schools about it.”