gwen's blog

From 8 to 10 September, health professionals and ministry of health officials from 30 Latin American and Caribbean countries gathered in Lima, Peru, for the Pan American Conference on Diabetes and Pregnancy. The conference was organised by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization and the World Diabetes Foundation.

 

In May, the ASCEND Research Network, the Sri Lankan National Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS) and the World Diabetes Foundation held a regional forum in Sri Lanka. Its aim: to improve the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in the South East Asian region. 

 

Zambia is known for its rugged terrain, diverse wildlife, and world-famous waterfall. It also has a reputation for political stability and a growing economy.  Yet serious challenges remain. Poverty is widespread, life expectancy is among the lowest in the world and the death rate is one of the highest - largely due to the prevalence of HIV/Aids.

 

Below is a list of the new projects that received WDF funding in the first six months of 2015. 

 

Click the project number below or enter the project ID into the WDF Project map to learn more:

 

In South Africa, developing diabetes is easy. Eating habits have changed, with processed and convenience foods consumed like never before. Extra pounds are viewed, by many, as a sign of health and beauty. Obesity is on the rise. 

 

The World Diabetes Foundation has invested $2.2 million in various partnership projects working to improve awareness and treatment of diabetes in Mexico, a country with alarmingly high obesity and diabetes rates.

 

In May, during a field visit to Latin America, WDF Senior Programme Coordinator Bent Lautrup-Nielsen discussed these and other issues with journalists in Mexico City. 

 

 

Worldwide, about 8% of people suffer from diabetes. In the Middle East, more than 10% have the disease. Residents of the Gaza Strip and West Bank, with diabetes rates approaching 15-20%, are in an unhealthy class of their own.

 

In 2010, the World Diabetes Foundation and the District of Barranquilla, Colombia, together with other partners including Novo Nordisk A/S, embarked on an ambitious project: Improving detection and treatment of GDM and reducing the future risk of diabetes in mothers and their offspring in Barranquilla City.

 

Vida Nueva worked with the government to:
 

• mandate GDM treatment guidelines for all public providers (a first in Colombia)

The remote region of Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala is known for its placid lake and twin volcanic peaks. Now, the region has a new source of pride: an innovative diabetes education effort targeting indigenous peoples.

 

Hypertension and diabetes are two major health problems for Palestine refugees. United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has been providing diabetes and hypertension care in its primary health care centres since 1992, and is making significant strides in addressing the problems through a structured process of care delivery.