Durban - This Wednesday is World Diabetes Day, and you had better take note because more and more people are being diagnosed with the condition.
Actress Sophie Ndaba is one of them.
“Living with diabetes doesn’t mean my life must stop. It means I will fight to live and encourage those who already are suffering from this disease. Help others prevent it. I started my weight loss journey because I was obese and it affected my health. I made a confident choice to start eating well and lose weight,” she said on Instagram.
According to the World Health Organisation 2016 report, being overweight or obese is strongly linked to diabetes.
It is estimated that 2.4 million adults in South Africa have diabetes and it remains the second most common cause of death in the country, according to Statistics SA.
Diabetes SA chairperson Philile Dlamini said it was very likely that even more people had diabetes but had not been tested.
“We are in bad shape. There are many people with diabetes, but the sad part is the majority do not even know they have diabetes. Those who have been diagnosed do not manage it accordingly. There’s lack of education in the community and in our health institutions we do not have diabetes educators who can provide counselling to patients. This is important when you have been diagnosed,” said Dlamini.
“Eat healthy food, exercise and take medication. People who are empowered and well informed live a longer life. My husband is a typical example. He was diagnosed with diabetes in 1974. He managed it and never had any complications. Last year he was diagnosed with cancer and suddenly died,” Dlamini said.