World Diabetes Day
Today is World Diabetes Day and this year’s theme is ‘access to diabetes education’, which underpins the broader multi-year theme of ‘access to care’. The theme highlights the importance of empowering individuals and communities with the right information to help improve the lives of the nearly half a million people living with diabetes worldwide. People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing tuberculosis (TB) and of poor outcomes from TB treatment. Therefore, access to diabetes education will help increase awareness and improve the quality of life for individuals and families affected by diabetes and TB.
Diabetes is among the five key drivers of the global TB epidemic, and the latest WHO World Tuberculosis Report estimates that diabetes contributed to half a million people becoming ill with TB in 2021. In addition , tuberculosis is associated with glucose intolerance and hyperglycemia. The International Diabetes Federation estimates that the prevalence of diabetes will nearly double in high-TB-burden countries between 2019 and 2045, with implications for the TB epidemic and response in these settings and globally .
To improve integrated care for people with TB and comorbidities, including diabetes, WHO recently published the Framework for Collaborative Action on TB and comorbidities. The framework includes actions to improve collaboration between health programs and across sectors to deliver people-centred services.
“Efforts to increase access to comprehensive care for people with TB and diabetes will help improve quality of life and save lives,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Programme. . “We encourage countries to strengthen collaboration between programs to ensure integrated care for people affected by both diseases.”
The Framework is based on key commitments made by Member States to combat tuberculosis and diabetes. In 2018, at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis, Member States committed to addressing the determinants of TB and ensuring integrated care for people with TB and diabetes, in the context of coverage universal healthcare At the 2022 World Health Assembly, member states also approved ambitious goals to be achieved by 2030, such as having 80% of people with diabetes diagnosed and 80% achieving good glycemic control. Achieving these goals will also contribute to ending the tuberculosis epidemic.
Dr. Bente Mikkelsen, Director of the WHO’s Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, emphasized: “As we celebrate World Diabetes Day, we must remember that diabetes is a key factor in the tuberculosis epidemic and a risk factor for many other infections. Therefore, prevention and effective management of diabetes will prevent tuberculosis, as well as unnecessary suffering and death.”
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