Dear members and friends,
You know when someone asks ‘Do you want the good news or the bad news first?’ Well, I am have decided to give the bad news first.
According to the most recently released statistics from Stats SA, diabetes is now the second leading cause of death in South Africa, just behind number one, which is TB.
The good news is that HIV/Aids has dropped to the fifth leading cause of death, so that means progress has been made and people on anti-retrovirals for HIV/Aids are living, and so it is no longer the second leading cause of death.
However, there is a silver lining in this for us. Diabetes will now receive the attention that we have been fighting for over the last 20 years. There is a lot of research and studies being done in this field, and new developments are being released frequently. New devices and technology are being used to assist in making managing diabetes easier, and companies are investing in developing new drugs to manage diabetes and finding a cure.
Several sources are talking about categorising diabetes into five types and not just Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes. The purpose would be to tailor treatment to achieve better results and reduce complications. We will be watching out for further information on this.
In the meantime, of course, we need to do our utmost to live well with diabetes and commit ourselves to avoiding any further associated health complications, so that we can take advantage of the new developments and be around to benefit from that cure when it comes along.
Best wishes!
Yours in Health
Margot Mc Cumisky
National Manager – Diabetes South Africa
