World Diabetes Day 14 November
Diabetes is a huge and growing problem
| Over 300 million people worldwide have diabetes now. If nothing is done, this will rise to 500 million within a generation | Diabetes is at crisis levels |
| All nations – rich and poor – are suffering the impact of the diabetes epidemic | No country is immune from the diabetes epidemic |
| Three out of four people with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries | Diabetes hits the poorest hardest |
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Diabetes Kills and Disables
| Each year four million deaths are caused by diabetes | Every eight seconds someone dies from diabetes |
| Diabetes hits people in low- and middle-income countries 10 or 20 years earlier than it does in high-income countries | Diabetes is increasingly hitting people of working age |
| Diabetes is among the top 10 causes of disability, resulting in devastating complications such as blindness and lower limb amputations | Diabetes is a deadly disease with life threatening complications |
Diabetes Costs to Society are High and Escalating
| Diabetes causes a staggering USD378 billion in global healthcare spending. This is predicted to increase to USD490 billion by 2030. | Diabetes is a chronic, debilitating and costly disease |
| Diabetes results in high healthcare costs, loss of labour productivity and reduced economic growth | Diabetes has high costs for countries, employers and individuals |
| Preventable deaths from diabetes, heart disease and stroke is causing China, Russia and India to lose USD 558 billion, USD303 billion and USD237 billion respectively in foregone national income | Investing in diabetes pays |
Diabetes is a Neglected Development Issue
| The cost of diabetes and its complications can throw a poor family into destitution | Diabetes traps households into a vicious cycle of poverty |
| Diabetes is a major cause of poverty, a barrier to economic development and is undermining the Millennium Development Goals | Diabetes is undermining global development |
| Diabetes triggers and exacerbates other health issues, including infectious diseases and maternal mortality | Investment in diabetes brings other health and development gains |
| Only 3% of the USD22 billion health expenditure by international aid agencies in LMCs is allocated to diabetes and related NCDs | Only a fraction of aid money for low- and middle-income countries is devoted to diabetes and NCDs |
| People are dying from diabetes not because we can’t treat them but because the world has not yet made the political commitment to save them | We can defeat diabetes – but we need the political will to do it |
We have Cost-Effective Solutions to Reverse the Global Diabetes Epidemic
| The majority of type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed through addressing the modifiable risk factors – unhealthy diets, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity | We must prevent the development of type 2 diabetes wherever we can |
| The causes of diabetes and NCDs are complex and multi-faceted. We need action that crosses health ministries and involves finance, transport and environment departments | Diabetes is not only a health issue – it affects everyone and requires a collective response |
| For people with diabetes, universal access to essential medicines, technologies and self-care education will cut diabetes-related complications and be cost-effective | Provide the essential medicines to save lives and money |
| Millions of people with diabetes around the world face stigma and discrimination, largely due to ignorance and misconceptions surrounding the disease | Stop discrimination against people with diabetes |
| Access to appropriate and affordable care is a right for all people with diabetes, not a privilege | It is an outrage to deprive people with diabetes of lifesaving treatment and care |
| We have cost-effective solutions that can save lives and make economic sense | We know what to do – we have the evidence, we have the cost-effective solutions, we have the tools and we have the skills |
We have the Global Platform to Turn the Global Diabetes Epidemic Around
| This is our biggest and best opportunity to broker the international commitments necessary to turn the diabetes and NCD tide | The UN Summit is a once-in-a-generation opportunity |
| We need the world’s most senior political leaders in New York to demonstrate the highest commitment to the world’s number one killers | The top killer diseases demand global political attention |
| We have cost effective solutions, we have the know-how to combat this global epidemic. There is no excuse for inaction | Inaction is not an option |
| IDF is working to make this Summit as successful as the 2001 Summit was in turning the tide for HIV/AIDS | Make 2011 a turning point for diabetes |
| The UN Summit must catalyse real change for the millions of people with diabetes | The Summit must be a global game changer |
The NCD Epidemic is a Global Health and Development Emergency
| Collectively NCDs are the leading cause of death globally. They take 35 million lives every year - 60% of all deaths worldwide | NCDs are the world’s number one killer, accounting for two out of three deaths |
| Four-fifths of NCD deaths now occur in low- and middle-income countries | NCDs are a development issue |
| 14 million people each year die prematurely from NCDs | NCDs are a silent killer |
| The World Economic Forum (WEF) has identified NCDs as a global risk for businesses and communities | NCDs are a costly global risk with far-reaching consequences |
| If NCDs continue to be invisible to policymakers, we will find ourselves in a world where healthy people are in the minority, where children die before their parents, and economic progress is reversed | Integrate NCDs into the current UN Millennium Development Goals and any subsequent similar global commitments |
| Reducing deaths from NCDs by 2 per cent a year over the next ten years will prevent 36 million deaths | Global action will save 36 million lives |
