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Press Room

Good data and targeted policies can reduce and effectively treat diabetes

(April 7th, 2016, New York, USA) – Global public health experts Vital Strategies today joined global calls to strengthen initiatives to prevent diabetes and deliver better care for sufferers.

José Luis Castro, President and Chief Executive Officer, Vital Strategies, who this evening addresses a meeting at the UN to mark World Health Day, said:

“Focusing on diabetes this World Health Day highlights NCDs as a global health and development priority, complementing the importance of health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. And rightly so: in 2012, approximately 1.5 million deaths were directly caused by diabetes and 80 percent of those deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Every six seconds, someone with diabetes dies and World Health Organization projects that diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of global mortality by 2030.

“The current and expected toll of diabetes – particularly type 2 diabetes – is truly alarming. Diabetes is part of a rising tide of non-communicable diseases that are whittling away hard-won improvements in health and longevity in every country. The economic impacts from diabetes and other non-communicable diseases on households, health systems and governments are already so large that, especially in low- and middle-income countries, they impede development and drive individuals to chronic and ever-deepening poverty. We have a moral and economic imperative to waste no time in implementing policies that will help to inoculate more people against developing preventable type 2 diabetes.

“From a global perspective, we can do much more to encourage the adoption of healthier lifestyles that are known to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Inactivity, tobacco use and consumption of unhealthy foods and beverages – including sugar-sweetened beverages – are all known risk factors, so let’s do more to communicate, advocate and legislate to discourage those activities. In a number of countries, stronger tobacco control, the increasing use of soda taxes and clear warning labels on foods and drinks are welcome steps in this regard. Policymakers should also be more active in encouraging physical activity and enabling easy access to affordable, healthy food.  

“But governments also need better access to more accurate data about the exact toll of diabetes in their country and the specific risk factors prevalent among their population. Across the globe, more than 200 million of the 420 million people living with diabetes don’t know they have the disease. Poorly controlled diabetes leads to the development of devastating complications, including blindness, foot amputations, kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes. It is therefore essential that, worldwide, everyone with diabetes has access to the medicines and technologies that will reduce the risk of these complications, and that primary health care staff have appropriate education about the management of diabetes.

“To ensure better care for sufferers and more effective policy interventions to prevent diabetes, governments need to have access to data that helps them identify the nature and extent of the problem in their country and the specific risk factors among their citizens. This information can inform the implementation of more targeted and cost-effective health policies and programs. Prevention and treatment services are critically important for ensuring affordable, equitable, and accessible care. Programs —such as those that bring services together for TB and diabetes—provide valuable lessons for scaling up integrated programs.

“Through Vital Strategies’ work in the areas of tobacco control, obesity prevention and the Data for Health initiative, we are supporting governments across the world in their efforts to prevent diabetes and implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We stand ready to continue that fight.”

About Vital Strategies

Vital Strategies envisions a world where every person is protected by a strong public health system.  Our team combines evidence-based strategies with innovation to help develop sound public health policies, manage programs efficiently, strengthen data systems, conduct research, and design strategic communication campaigns for policy and behavior change.  Vital Strategies was formed when The Union North America and World Lung Foundation joined forces.  It is an affiliate of The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union).

To find out more, please visit vitalstrategies.org or Twitter @VitalStrat

For further information or to arrange an interview with a Vital Strategies public health or maternal health expert, please contact Tracey Johnston, Vital Strategies, at +44.7889.081.170 or tjohnston@vitalstrategies.org