WHAT IS WORLD DIABETES DAY
World Diabetes Day (WDD) was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. It became an official United Nation (UN) Day in 2006 with the passage of UN Resolution 61/225. WDD is marked every year on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.
WDD is the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching a global audience of over 1 billion people in more than 160 countries. The campaign draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public and political spotlight.
The WDD campaign is represented by a blue circle logo that was adopted in 2007 after the passage of the UN Resolution on diabetes. The blue circle is the global symbol for diabetes awareness. It signifies the unity of the global diabetes community in response to the diabetes epidemic. Every year, the World Diabetes Day campaign focuses on a dedicated theme that runs for one or more years.
The theme for World Diabetes Day 2020 is ‘The Nurse and Diabetes’. The campaign aims to raise awareness around the crucial role that nurses play in supporting people living with diabetes.
Nurses currently account for over half of the global health workforce. They do outstanding work to support people living with a wide range of health concerns. People who either live with diabetes or are at risk of developing the condition need their support too. People living with diabetes face a number of challenges, and education is vital to equip nurses with the skills to support them.
As the number of people living with diabetes continues to rise across the world, the role of nurses and other health professional support staff becomes increasingly important in managing the impact of the condition.
Healthcare providers and governments must recognise the importance of investing in diabetes education and training. With the right expertise, nurses can make the difference for people affected by this dreadful disease.
Diabetes During Covid-19 Pandemic
This year’s World Diabetes Day falls during a global pandemic which has already taken the lives of well over a million people. People with diabetes are paying a particularly high price. Not only do they have a higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease and death when infected, but many are having difficulty accessing the treatment they need due to disruptions to essential health and social services.
The pandemic has worsened a situation that was already extremely concerning. According to WHO, an estimated 6% of the world’s population has diabetes. They say that the total number today is four times what it was in 1980 (rose from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014). What’s more, the number is rising most rapidly in low-and-middle-income countries, which are the least wellequipped to provide treatment.
The gravity of the situation demands a strong, united response from all organizations working in the areas of monitoring, prevention and treatment of diabetes.
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