Let’s Talk About Health Matters: All In For Health: Prevalence of Diabetes

#diabetesawareness #Allin4health #health4all #minding your wellbeing Diabetes is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Africa. It is estimated that 15.9 million people are living with Diabetes in Africa. Africa also has the greatest proportion of undiagnosed Diabetics; it is estimated that 60% of adults living with Diabetes do not know that they are Diabetic. (IDF,2019). The prevalence of Diabetes is rapidly increasing owing to urbanisation, unhealthy lifestyle choices and obesity just to mention a few. The prevalence of Diabetes in adults in South Africa is estimated to be at 12.8% having doubled since 2000 (IDF) while the prevalence of Diabetes in neighbouring Zimbabwe is currently estimated to be at 8.5% and it has doubled in the last 30 years (Mutowo et al, 2015). The costs related to the management of diabetes complications which include hospitalisation are high and these high costs are burdening the health system. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push({}); Indirect costs are also high because the population mainly affected by Diabetes is the working class.