The Changing Diabetes World Bus visited the city last week en route to the UN headquarters in New York for World Diabetes Day and encouraged people to learn more about the condition.

Ena Wallace, Martinstown, Co Limerickm having her blood tested for diabetes by Nurse Aoife Mulvihill at the Changing Diabetes World Bus last week in the Crescent Shopping Centre. Picture: Emma Jervis/Press 22

The bus is part of a global drive to change diabetes as statistics for the disease show that it could reach epidemic standards with more than 350 million people worldwide expected to be diagnosed with diabetes by 2025.

It has been travelling across the globe for the last year and Ireland is its last stop on its 32,000km journey.
In Ireland, 200,000 people have type 2 diabetes and a further 100,000 have high blood glucose levels and will only be diagnosed with diabetes when they present with a complication and this figure could double in the next ten years due to increasing obesity levels.

Dr James O’Hare of the Mid-West Regional Hospital said that the HSE is prioritising diabetes as a health issue and has now created a multidisciplinary Expert Advisory Group (EAG) to make recommendations on diabetes care. 

“The EAG is supporting an integrated care approach and is also compiling a report which will make wide ranging recommendations across the spectrum of diabetes care with a view to improving the life expectancy and quality of those with diabetes,” he said.

“Health professionals are eagerly awaiting this report and we are calling on the Government to urgently progress the implementation of a new, proactive method of care delivery for diabetes patients in Ireland.”

The Diabetes Federation of Ireland (DFI) is lending its support to the Unite for Diabetes Campaign and is also urging the Government to implement a new national diabetes strategy for Ireland.

Pauline Lynch, Regional Development Officer of the DFI, said that diabetes services are struggling to cope with current numbers and will be unable to cope with the additional patients predicted.

“A fully funded national diabetes strategy is more urgently required than ever. Undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes can result in blindness, kidney failure, nerve disease, limb amputations and cardiovascular diseases. A major risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes is being overweight and physically inactive. It is important to note that 40% of type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by making some basic lifestyle changes.” 

Owen Treacy, Irish Manager of Novo Nordisk—sponsors of the Changing Diabetes World Bus Tour and the Unite for Diabetes Campaign—said that while there is no cure for diabetes changes in diet and more physical activity can reduce the numbers of people developing the condition.

“It is possible to reverse the growing diabetes epidemic.  To do nothing is not an option.  Action is urgently needed now to prevent our children from bearing the future burden of diabetes. Our goal is to reach as many people as possible with information about diabetes and diabetes care,” Mr Treacy told the Limerick Independent.

For information on diabetes, see www.diabetes or call 01 836 3022.

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