Source - BuaNews
South Africans were recently among tens of thousands participating in the Global Diabetes Walk to help raise awareness for the diabetes pandemic.
The five or 10km walk/run event, which took place on 14 November to celebrate World Diabetes Day, kicked off in the morning at Mouillie Point Lighthouse in Cape Town.
Similar events also took place in other centres in Africa, Asia, Europe, as well as North and South America, where organisers estimated around 100 000 plus global participants took part on the day.
Themed, "Understand diabetes and take control", the Global Diabetes Walk celebrates and supports a UN resolution, passed in 2006, which recognises the global threat of the diabetes pandemic.
According to the World Diabetes Foundation, the annual walk aims to increase education on diabetes, prevention and encourages the world to unite and deal with the diabetes pandemic.
In South Africa, approximately one in five people over the age of 35 have type 2 diabetes and more than 50 percent of them are unaware they have it.
Diabetes South Africa (DSA) spokesperson, Margot McCumisky, stressed the need
to take action and start educating the public on diabetes and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, which is one of the corner stones for diabetes type 2 prevention and good diabetes management.
"We need to encourage all South Africans who have even one of the risk factors of diabetes to get tested annually, a simple finger prick test at your nearest pharmacy or healthcare practitioner will let you know if you are at risk," pleaded McCumisky.