Diabetes represents a pressing health challenge in Africa where approximately 14.7 million adults in the African region are living with diabetes, a disease that kills 344,000 people annually. The economic toll is also significant, with an estimated $2.8 billion spent on diabetes-related healthcare in the region during the same period.
The figures were unveiled by Dr. Sambo Luis Gomes, WHO Regional Director for Africa, in a message on World Diabetes Day activities (November 14) held this year under the theme “Diabetes: Let’s Protect Our Future.”
This theme underscores the critical need to shield current and future generations from the escalating burden of this chronic and costly disease.
Dr Gomes mentioned modernization, rapid urbanization, and the aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods as key contributors to the sharp increase in diabetes cases across Africa.
Diabetes remains a pressing global public health issue, requiring robust surveillance and intervention efforts, particularly in Africa, where the impact of the disease continues to grow.