‘No child should die of diabetes' – theme of this year’s World Diabetes Day

The message of this year’s World Diabetes Day, which is celebrated annually on November 14, is ‘no child should die of diabetes'. According to the Ministry of Health, 45,845 people were living with diabetes in Moldova in 2006. Some 393 of these were children. Last year saw 6,828 new cases of diabetes, including 56 new cases in children. The Moldovan children suffering from diabetes are provided with free insulin and receive treatment in the endocrinology section of the Clinical Hospital for Children “Emilian Cotaga”. The hospital’s “Diabetes School” provides information about the disease, treatment and prophylaxis to children and their parents. The national diabetes prophylaxis program “MoldDiab" for 2006 – 2010 and the territorial programmes include informative and educative activities for the population, as a diabetes prophylaxis measure. The programme also envisages awareness raising activities informing about the normal corporal weight, healthy food and norm of carbohydrates and fats in the body, danger of consuming alcohol and sweetened drinks, sanitary education of children in the family and in education establishments, the role of physical education and the healthy lifestyle. According to the Ministry of Health’s press service, this year the doctors from the whole world aim to draw attention to the spread of diabetes among children. Type 1 diabetes is growing by 3% per year in children and adolescents, and at an alarming 5% per year among pre-school children. Doctors focus on providing informing about the possibility of preventing, diagnosing and treating this illness. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in children and adolescents; about 151,000 people below the age of 20 years have diabetes. Today, more than 240 million people worldwide are living with diabetes. Within 20 years, this number is expected to grow to 380 million, the World Health Organization said.