- Every year on 14 November, World Diabetes Day is celebrated.
- The day raises awareness of diabetes as a global public health issue.
- The theme of World Diabetes Day 2024 is ‘Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps.’
- It is also observed to mark the birth anniversary of Sir Frederick Banting.
- He discovered the insulin hormone along with Charles Herbert Best in 1922.
- In 1991, World Diabetes Day was first celebrated by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization to raise awareness about diabetes.
- In 2006, the United Nations officially recognized World Diabetes Day.
- According to the Indian Council of Medical Research – India Diabetes (ICMR INDIAB) study published in 2023, 10.1 crore people in India are suffering from diabetes.
- In India, several proactive measures have been initiated by the Government to combat diabetes as a part of the comprehensive National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) under the National Health Mission (NHM).
Diabetes
- It is a chronic disease, which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin.
- This leads to an increased concentration of glucose in the blood.
- Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose.