Mathematical Detective

It is the primary global awareness campaign of the diabetes world. It was 1st introduced by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) & the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1991. World Diabetes Day is a campaign that features a new theme chosen by the IDF each year to address issues facing the global diabetes community.

In 2007 & this year, the theme of World Diabetes Day is 'Diabetes in Children & Adolescents'. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. It can strike children of any age, even toddlers & babies. If not detected early enough in a child, the disease can be fatal or result in serious brain damage. Yet diabetes in a child is often completely overlooked. It is often misdiagnosed as flu or it is not diagnosed at all. Currently, an estimated of 440,000 children live with type 1 diabetes globally.

Every parent, school teacher, nurse, doctor & anyone involved in the care of children should be familiar with the warning signs & alert to the diabetes threat. Here are some of the warning signs:

• Frequent urination
• Excessive thirst
• Increased hunger
• Weight loss
• Tiredness
• Lack of interest & concentration
• Blurred vision
• Vomitting & stomach pain (often mistaken as flu)

• Diabetes currently affects 246 million people worldwide & is expected to affect 380 million by 2025
• In 2007, the five countries with the largest numbers of people with diabetes are India (40.9 million), China (39.8 million), US (19.2 million), Russia (9.6 million) & Germany (7.4 million)
• Each year a further 7 million people develop diabetes
• Each year 3.8 million deaths are attributable to diabetes.