World Diabetes Day is the world’s largest diabetes campaign, it was started in 1991 by the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation, which is the umbrella organization that includes approximately 230 organizations in 160 different countries and territories.
It takes place on October 14th every year. People with diabetes, health professionals, diabetes advocates, the general public and government organizations unite to raise awareness of diabetes. This year’s theme is The Nurse and the Diabetes, and it aims to raise awareness around the crucial role that nurses play in supporting people living with diabetes.
The two key messages of this year’s campaign to achieve the goal of better education and funding for health professionals are:
- Nurses: Make the difference for diabetes. Because they are such a big support on people living with diabetes or at risk of developing the condition, IDF wants to facilitate opportunities for nurses to learn more about the condition and will launch an online educational tool to help nurses improve their knowledge and understanding of diabetes.
- Diabetes: Nurses make the difference. The key role nurses play in managing the impact of the condition also includes diagnosing diabetes early, psychological support and elf-management training for people with diabetes to prevent complications and help prevent type 2 diabetes.
How to get involved in this campaign by organizing a diabetes information session for families in your community with the precautions against COVID-19, put a blue circle in your window, exercise in blue to show your support, shine a blue light on diabetes, get involved in the social media campaign and support WDD online by promoting the campaign on social media- like, share, follow, retweet, use the hashtags #WorldDiabetesDay and the #NursesMakeTheDifference, promote the blue circle as the global symbol of diabetes, create your own social media campaign or help share the global health agenda.
The World Diabetes Day’s logo is represented by the diabetes global symbol the Blue Circle logo that signifies the unity of the global diabetes community. This day’s focus is to be the leading platform to promote diabetes advocacy efforts, to promote the importance of taking actions to confront diabetes as a serious global threat, and to draw attention to the key issues of diabetes to the global public and political spotlight.
Diabetes is a condition that results in high blood glucose, the most common types are type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces little to no insulin; type 2 diabetes, that affects the way your body processes blood sugar; prediabetes blood sugar is high, but not as high as type 2; and gestational diabetes, high blood sugar affecting pregnant women. Consult your medical authority for advice.