On 2021 World Diabetes Day

by Fred Nwaozor

The last time I checked, November 14 annually remained World Diabetes Day. This signifies that last Sunday, the world over commemorated the remarkable event. The day, which is an annual and international commemoration, was instituted in the year 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) to help in raising public awareness on the dangers and control of diabetes. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations (UN) Day in 2007 through the passage of the UN Resolution. The day was chosen in honour of the birthday of Frederick Banting who along with Charles Best first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1921.

It’s noteworthy that the campaign attached to the World Diabetes Day draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes community and keeps diabetes firmly in the public spotlight. The theme of this year’s anniversary is “Access to Diabetes Care”. It acknowledges that millions of people with diabetes around the world do not have access to diabetes care. It emphasizes that people with diabetes require ongoing care and support to manage their condition and avoid complications. The theme therefore stressed that we cannot wait any longer, hence urging stakeholders at all levels to provide the needed medicine, technologies, support and care for all people with diabetes that require them. It also enjoined governments to increase investment in diabetes care and prevention. Diabetes is a lifelong medical condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high. It is often caused by the insufficiency or lack of the hormone known as insulin, which is produced by the pancreas – a gland found behind the stomach.

The amount of sugar in the blood is controlled by insulin. When food is digested and enters the bloodstream, insulin moves glucose out of the blood and into the cells where it’s broken down to produce the required energy. However this implies that, if one has diabetes, his/her body is unable to break down glucose into energy; because there’s either not enough insulin to move the glucose or the insulin being produced doesn’t work properly. There are two main types of diabetes namely: Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. The former is usually more delicate than the latter which is far more common. In Type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin. As no insulin is produced, the victim’s glucose level increases, which can seriously damage his body’s organs. Type 1 diabetes is often regarded as Insulin-dependent diabetes; it is also sometimes recognized as Juvenile diabetes or Early-onset diabetes, because it mostly develops before the age of forty (40) or usually during the teenage years. If one is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, he would need insulin injections for the rest of his life. He would also need to pay very close attention to certain aspects of his lifestyle and health, to ensure that his blood glucose levels stay balanced at all times.

Type 2 diabetes takes place when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or it cells don’t react to insulin. This type of diabetes is generally known as Insulin-resistant diabetes. Since Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition, the patient may eventually need medication mainly in the form of tablets. Type 2 diabetes is in most cases associated with obesity. Obesity-related diabetes is sometimes referred to as Maturity-onset diabetes owing to the fact that it is more common in older people. During pregnancy, some women possess high levels of blood glucose, which makes their body unable to produce enough insulin to absorb it all. Such condition is known as Gestational diabetes and it affects up to 18 in 100 women during pregnancy. Pregnancy can as well make existing Type 1 diabetes worse. Gestational diabetes can increase the risk of health problems developing in an unborn baby, therefore it’s very necessary for a pregnant woman to keep her blood glucose levels under control. Record has it that diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death in women globally, causing 2.1 million deaths per year. In several cases, gestational diabetes develops during the second trimester of pregnancy, which is weeks 14 to 26, and disappears after the baby is born. But the truth remains that, women who suffer from gestational diabetes are at an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life. The general symptoms of diabetes, which often take place simultaneously, are: feeling very thirsty; urinating more frequently than usual, particularly at night; feeling very tired; weight loss and loss of muscle bulk; cuts or wounds that heal slowly; blurred vision, caused by the lens of the eye becoming dry; itching around the private part or frequent episodes of thrush.

Type 1 diabetes can develop quickly over weeks or even days; whilst, many people may have Type 2 diabetes for years without realizing it because the early symptoms tend to be friendly. Statistics, according to World Health Organization (WHO), show that about 347 million people worldwide are presently suffering from diabetes. In 2004, an estimated 3.4 million people died from consequences of high fasting blood sugar. The most devastating aspect of diabetes is that, almost half of the people suffering from it do not know that they have the disease. In view of this, WHO stipulates that diabetes would be the 7th leading cause of death by the year 2030. Many more people worldwide have blood sugar levels above the normal range, but not high enough to be diagnosed as having diabetes. This is referred to as Pre-diabetes. If your blood sugar level is above the normal range, your risk of developing full-blown diabetes is increased. Thus, it’s absolutely very important for diabetes to be diagnosed as early as possible because it would get progressively worse if left untreated.

In general, diabetes carriers are advised to eat healthily, take regular exercise and carry out regular blood tests in order to ensure that their blood glucose levels remain balanced. Above all, they are also advised to maintain a very cordial relationship with their doctors or health experts. As the global community commemorates the World Diabetes Day anniversary, I’m using this avenue to urge the general public to endeavour to live a life that would keep them away from contracting this dreaded disease that has claimed hundreds of millions of souls as well as maimed several lives both in the past and present. They can achieve this by ensuring they consume balance diets or staying away from constant intake of starchy or sugary foods without supplementing them with other required classes of foods. The sufferers of the disease ought to also note that they can live as long as possible if necessary precautions are always taken, or if they continually stick to the modus operandi surrounding the disease, such as eating healthily, indulging in regular exercise, carrying out blood tests regularly, and consistent intake of the prescribed drugs or frequent consultation of a physician, among others. Diabetes has no absolute cure but can be prevented, or managed if contracted. Hence, it’s worthy to acknowledge we have every opportunity to live without the disease, or live healthily if eventually infected with it. Think about it.

SAD: Ebola Outbreak Kills 19 in DR Congo

The health ministry in the Democratic Republic of Congo said that the fresh deadly Ebola outbreak had claimed another 19 lives in just five days.

The outbreak, which began on August 1, 2018 has ravaged the eastern part of the country.

Ebola has in the meantime killed 241 people, the ministry said in a statement late last Tuesday being 27th November 2018.

“There have been 241 deaths,” the ministry said in an update correct to November 26, indicating there had been a total of 421 cases — 374 of them confirmed, and another 47 probable.

Another 74 suspected cases are under investigation.

Rostrum365 health crew gathered that The outbreak is the tenth in DR Congo since Ebola was first detected there in 1976.

The crisis is centred around the restive eastern city of Beni in North Kivu, a region which has been blighted by armed conflict that has hampered efforts to curb the outbreak.

Ebola is a serious infectious disease that can spread rapidly through small amounts of bodily fluid, causing internal bleeding and potentially death.

DR Congo is at the peak of a major campaign ahead of a December 23 election to choose a successor to President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled the vast central African country since 2001.

It's noteworthy that since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960, the poverty-stricken nation has never known a peaceful transition of power.

Analysis I Fellow Nigerians, Let's End Diabetes Now!

By Fred Doc Nwaozor

         

On November 14, the world over commemorated the 2018 World Diabetes Day. The day, which is an annual and international commemoration, was instituted in the year 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) to help in raising public awareness on the dangers and control of diabetes.

          

The day became an official United Nations (UN) Day in 2007 through the passage of the UN resolution. The day was chosen in honour of the birthday of Frederick Banting who along with Charles Best first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1921. The theme of this year’s anniversary is ‘The family and Diabetes’.

          

Diabetes is a lifelong medical condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high. It’s often caused by the insufficiency or lack of the hormone known as insulin, which is produced by the pancreas – a gland found behind the stomach. The amount of sugar in the blood is controlled by the aforementioned hormone.

         

When food is digested and enters the bloodstream, insulin moves glucose out of the blood and into the cells where it’s broken down to produce the required energy. So, if one is diagnosed with diabetes, it implies that his/her body is unable to break down glucose into energy, because there’s either not enough insulin to move the glucose or the insulin being produced doesn’t work properly.

         

There are two main types of diabetes namely: Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. The former is usually more delicate than the latter which is far more common. In Type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin. As no insulin is produced, the victim’s glucose level increases, which can seriously damage his body’s organs.

         

Type 1 diabetes is often regarded as Insulin-dependent diabetes. It’s equally sometimes recognized as Juvenile diabetes or Early-onset diabetes, because it mostly develops before the age of forty or usually during the teenage years. If one is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, he would need insulin injections for the rest of his life. He would also need to pay very close attention to certain aspects of his lifestyle and health, to ensure that his blood glucose levels stay balanced at all times.

        

Type 2 diabetes takes place when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or it cells don’t react to insulin. This type of diabetes is generally known as Insulin-resistant diabetes. Since Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition, the patient may eventually need medication mainly in the form of tablets. Type 2 diabetes is in most cases associated with obesity. Obesity-related diabetes is sometimes referred to as ‘maturity-onset’ diabetes owing to the fact that it is more common in older people.

         

During pregnancy, some women possess high levels of blood glucose, which makes their body unable to produce enough insulin to absorb it all. Such condition is known as gestational diabetes, and it affects up to 18 in 100 women during pregnancy. Pregnancy can as well make existing Type 1 diabetes worse.

          

Gestational diabetes can increase the risk of health problems developing in an unborn baby, therefore it’s very necessary for a pregnant woman to keep her blood glucose levels under control. It often develops during the second trimester of pregnancy and disappears after the baby is born. Women who suffer from gestational diabetes are at an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.

          

The general symptoms of diabetes, which usually take place simultaneously, include: feeling very thirsty; urinating more frequently than usual, particularly at night; feeling very tired; weight loss and loss of muscle bulk; cuts or wounds that heal slowly; blurred vision, caused by the lens of the eye becoming dry; and, itching around the private parts or frequent episodes of thrush.

          

Type 1 diabetes can develop quickly over weeks or even days, whilst many people may have Type 2 diabetes for years without realizing it because the early symptoms tend to be friendly.

         

Survey shows that about 347 million people worldwide are presently suffering from diabetes. Worse still, almost half of the carriers do not know they have the disease. Many more people globally have blood sugar levels above the normal range, but not high enough to be diagnosed as having diabetes. This is referred to as pre-diabetes.

           

If your blood sugar level is above the normal range, your risk of developing full-blown diabetes is increased. Thus, it’s absolutely very important for diabetes to be diagnosed as early as possible because it would get progressively worse if left untreated.

          

In general, diabetes carriers are advised to eat healthily, drink enough water, participate in constant exercise, consistently take their routine drugs as well as carry out regular blood tests, in order to ensure that their blood glucose levels remain balanced. Among all, they are advised to maintain a very cordial relationship with their health experts.

         

As the global community marks the 27^th edition of the World Diabetes Day, let’s endeavour to live a life that would exonerate us from contracting this dreaded disease that has claimed millions of souls.

         

We can achieve this by ensuring that we consume balance diets, or by staying away from constant intake of starchy or sugary foods without supplementing them with other required classes of foods.

         

It has no cure but it can be prevented, or duly controlled if contracted. Think about it!

Comrade Nwaozor, a policy analyst & rights activist, 

writes via frednwaozor@gmail.com

Twitter: @mediambassador            

SHOCKER: German Nurse Admits Killing 100 Patients

 

A former nurse admitted on Tuesday, 30th October 2018 to have killed 100 patients in Germany, closing the case of the country's biggest, post-war serial killing spree.

On his first day of trial, Niels Hoegel, 41, admitted to killing 100 patients between 2000 and 2005 in northern Germany by injecting them with lethal drugs and trying to resuscitate them; an attempt that often failed.

When asked by the presiding judge, Sebastian Buehrmann if the allegations levelled against him were largely true, Mr. Hoegel simply replied "yes".

Mr. Hoegel is believed to be responsible for the death of more than 130 patients, but the cremation of more possible victims makes determining the exact number of victims nearly impossible as gathered by Rostrum's health correspondent. 

It would be recalled that Mr. Hoegel was first caught by a co-worker in 2005 when he was administering lethal drugs to a patient; a crime he received a sentence of seven years in prison in 2008.

In 2015, he was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted on two additional murder and attempted murder charges.

It's noteworthy that Mr. Hoegel’s trial is expected to end in May next year being 2019.