WHO red-flags growing risk of diabetes in SE Asia

60% UNAWARE OF ILLNESS

- KAVITA BAJELI-DATT

DIABETES affected nearly 246 million people in the South-East Asia Region in 2022, but more than 60% of people with suffering from this chronic disease in the region are unaware of their status, the WHO said Thursday.

On the occasion of World Diabetes Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the outcomes of untreated and uncontrolled diabetes range from heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, blindness, and amputations.

"These complications not only impose an emotional and financial burden on individuals and families but also significant financial strain on health-care systems," said Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia (SEARO).

In the Region, which has 11 members, including India, less than one in three adults with diabetes are on treatment and less than 15% of people living with diabetes have the disease status under control.