India leads the world with highest no.of diabetes

Montreal, Oct 20: India has the highest number of people suffering from diabetes with 50.8 million, followed by China with 43.2 million and the US with 26.8 million, a new data released by International Diabetes Federation (IDF) said.

According to Professor Jean Claude Mbanya, President of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), "The data from the latest edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas show that the epidemic is out of control."

He said, "We are losing ground in the struggle to contain diabetes. No country is immune and no country is fully equipped to repel this common enemy."

IDF predicts that diabetes will cost the world economy at least US $376 billion in 2010, or 11.6 pc of total world healthcare expenditure. The data also said that the number by 2030 is projected to exceed US $490 billion.

India, which has the largest diabetes population, spends US $2.8 billion or 1 pc of the global total.

Professor Nigel Unwin, IDF Diabetes Atlas, said, "The world needs to invest in integrated health systems that can diagnose, treat, manage and prevent diabetes."

IDF also warned that many health systems worldwide are not yet equipped to handle the extent of the diabetes threat, and that failure to take action will have serious consequences.

OneIndia News