Lagos,18 November, 2024 – When 52-year-old Adeola Akinyemi, a dealer residing in Lagos, acquired her Kind 2 diabetes analysis ten years in the past, her world shifted. The information got here as a shock, but it set her on a journey that may change her dietary and sedentary life-style.

“I keep in mind feeling continually drained, at all times thirsty, and frequent the bathroom at night time”, says Adeola. “I used to be shedding pounds quickly regardless of consuming nicely. It wasn’t till I went for a routine check-up that I found my blood sugar ranges had been dangerously excessive.”

Her journey with the situation has been difficult, however she is relentless and has tailored to a brand new life-style that she stated helps her maintain wholesome. 

Adeola’s method to managing diabetes is certainly one of balanced dedication and consistency. She emphasises that her journey to acceptance and management started with information and consciousness. 

After her analysis, Adeola sought steering from healthcare professionals, dietitians, and diabetes assist teams. This community of assist turned essential in serving to her perceive what it meant to reside with diabetes and learn how to maintain her blood sugar ranges in verify.

Adeola has since made important life-style modifications to handle her diabetes. She follows a strict weight-reduction plan, workouts frequently, makes use of her treatment and displays her blood sugar ranges frequently. “It’s not straightforward, however vital,” she says. “I wish to be there for my youngsters and reside a wholesome life.”

Diabetes consciousness and a wholesome life-style
Though Adeola’s story will not be distinctive, many are unaware of their standing. In line with the World Well being Group (WHO), globally, in 2021, 537 million individuals, or about 10.5% of the world’s inhabitants, had diabetes, a lot of whom are unaware of their situation and its issues. 

Diabetes (excessive blood sugar) is a power well being situation that impacts how the physique converts meals into vitality. Diabetes prevalence has been rising extra quickly in center and low-income nations, together with Nigeria. The illness is a serious well being concern, with secondary issues together with blindness, kidney failure, coronary heart assaults, stroke and decrease limb amputation. 

Nigeria has the best incidence of diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa. The WHO estimates that the prevalence of diabetes in Nigeria is 4.3%. The excessive prevalence is primarily attributed to the approach to life modifications brought on by urbanisation and its ends in industries producing unhealthy diets, together with sugar-sweetened drinks, lack of train, tobacco use, and dangerous use of alcohol.

A Name to Motion: Realizing Your Standing Can Save Lives
With the 2024 World Diabetes Day commemorated, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO Nigeria Nation Consultant, emphasises the significance of diabetes training/consciousness, early detection, and a wholesome life-style. 

Dr Mulombo stated, “This yr’s theme, “Breaking Obstacles, Bridging Gaps, “underpins our dedication to decreasing the chance of diabetes and guaranteeing that each one individuals identified with diabetes have entry to equitable, complete, reasonably priced, and high quality therapy and care.

“Realizing one’s diabetes standing can certainly be life-saving. “On World Diabetes Day right this moment, I urge people, communities, governments, well being employees, policymakers and civil society organisations to affix palms and act now. For people, prioritise a wholesome life-style, and when you’re already residing with diabetes, have common medical check-ups.

Communities can play their function by creating supportive environments that promote wholesome residing, cut back stigma, and supply entry to reasonably priced diabetes care and training. For governments, we totally assist your efforts to implement insurance policies that improve entry to important medicines, strengthen main healthcare techniques, and foreground funding in diabetes prevention and care”.

Taking deliberate steps 
The WHO has been supporting the Nigerian authorities in its efforts to fight the illness.

With the assist of WHO, the Federal Ministry of Well being has developed and launched a Multisectoral Motion Plan to scale back the morbidity and mortality from noncommunicable illnesses (NCDs). This plan contains cost-effective insurance policies and social interventions to affect behaviours and life-style modifications.

Not too long ago, the WHO supported Nigeria’s Governors Discussion board in conducting Mission 10 Million, tagged Know Your Numbers, Management Your Quantity, to display screen 10 million individuals for hypertension and diabetes. The marketing campaign served as a possibility to lift consciousness about NCDs as a serious public well being downside requiring pressing intervention. 

For Adeola and hundreds of thousands like her, World Diabetes Day is a reminder that whereas diabetes could also be part of her life, it doesn’t outline her. And with early detection and proactive administration, it may be managed.

Her recommendation to others is obvious: everybody ought to verify their well being standing and take management of their well being. Diabetes will not be a demise sentence. It’s a possibility to rethink our well being and life-style,”