Diabetes has become a problem throughout the world; many countries are suffering from higher rates of the disease. America was once thought of as the diabetes capital of the world, with over 21 million diabetes sufferers. However, the focus has recently shifted to India following a new WHO warning.
The World Health Authority (WHO) has warned that, within next twenty years diabetes in India is set to explode. They forecast a leap in numbers to 60 million in this period. Experts who conducted the report noted that the prevention of chronic disease is a ‘vital investment for countries.’
In India, diabetes was once called a ‘rich man’s disease’, but nowadays the scale and scope of the disease encompasses all levels of society and all ages of the population. The WHO report aimed to offer practical suggestions for how best to fight the disease with intervention.
The predictions are causing considerable concern in India and throughout the world. The burden placed by this number of diabetics upon an already stretched health care system would be enormous. Diabetes has spread throughout India as traditional diet and lifestyle options are influenced by sedentary western lifestyle. Although incidences of obesity are on a different level to that seen in America, diabetes in India is reaching a terrifying scale.
The population of diabetes in India has reached approximately 38 million out of which 21 million are from rural India. The diabetic patients in rural India are not even provided with sufficient amount of healthcare resources.
