How to fight deadly diabetes?

One person dies from diabetes every six seconds. What is worse the World Health Organization says diabetes is becoming even more common around the world. 

And that’s why prevention is the focus of this year’s World Diabetes Day.

Researchers say half of all adults with diabetes don’t know they have it. And late diagnosis can lead to serious complications, including blindness and kidney failure.

This year’s awareness campaign encourages people to get tested as soon as possible, and tells them how to recognise early signs of diabetes.

The WHO says one in 11 adults has diabetes – that’s 415 million people.

In the next two decades that number is expected to rise to 642 million people, and it’s mainly poor countries that are affected.

Three out of four diabetics live in so-called low and middle-income countries.

So what is being done to combat diabetes, and what is behind the rapid rise of the disease around the world?

Presenter: Sohail Rahman

Guests

Abdulla Al-Hamaq – Executive Director of the Qatar Diabetes Association.

Gojka Roglic – Technical Officer at the Diabetes Unit at the World Health Organization.