World Diabetes Day was established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in 1991 in response to the rising number of diabetes cases worldwide.
In 2006, the United Nations General Assembly designated November 14 of each year as the official date to commemorate World Diabetes Day.
This date was chosen to honor the birthday of Dr. Frederick Banting, who discovered insulin in October 1921, earning him the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1922.
More than 100 years after this groundbreaking event, which has helped save the lives of many children, let’s give voice to this day and support people with diabetes; let’s be empathetic and raise awareness in the community to curb this disease.
Each year, a specific theme related to diabetes is selected.
From 2021 to 2023, the focus was on Access to Diabetes Care. This year’s theme is “Diabetes across life stages.”
The main reason for commemorating World Diabetes Day is to raise awareness about the causes, symptoms, complications, and treatments associated with this disease, with the goal of identifying early stages to prevent its acute and chronic complications and its rapid growth.
Approximately 30 million people have diabetes, and about 7 million have not been diagnosed. Furthermore, it is estimated that around 84 million people have prediabetes, a condition that increases the risk of developing the disease.
Of this latter group, 23 million are individuals aged 65 or older.
That is why, on this day, campaigns are held worldwide to raise awareness about this disease among children, adults, seniors, healthcare professionals, media, and those affected or unaffected by diabetes—because the more we know about this serious disease, the more people we can identify to prevent its onset.
World Diabetes Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness about diabetes as a critical public health issue. We must all come together to increase knowledge and drive change for everyone affected by diabetes or at risk of developing it.
On Saturday, November 8, from 9 AM to 2 PM, a Diabetes Awareness Day will be held at the Family Medicine and Wellness Clinic, located at 207 NW Saint James Drive, Port Saint Lucie. The event will include screenings, lectures, and information about the innovative DIABEPLAN program for diabetic patients.
Everyone is cordially invited.
