World Diabetes Day 2021: Access to Medicines and Care

World Diabetes Day is observed every year on November 14. World Diabetes Day aims to increase awareness of the effects of diabetes and the complications caused by the disease.

World Diabetes Day is a global occasion in which people with diabetes, health professionals, diabetes advocates, media, the general public, and government organizations unite in the fight against diabetes.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces. Not being able to produce insulin or use it effectively leads to raised glucose levels in the blood (known as hyperglycaemia). Over the long-term high glucose levels are associated with damage to the body and failure of various organs and tissues.

The increasing prevalence of diabetes is largely caused by the increasing prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 5-19 rose dramatically from 4% in 1975 to over 18% in 2016.

The International Federation of Diabetes (IDF) is raising awareness of the impact that diabetes has on the family and support network of those affected, and promoting the role of the family in the management, care, prevention, and education of diabetes.