Government Recognizes Diabetes as Emerging Public Health Crisis
Written by Mafken FM Newsroom on 15 November 2024
By Anthony Chomba
Minister of Health, Elijah Muchima, has highlighted the growing threat of diabetes, calling it an emerging public health crisis.
In a keynote address delivered on his behalf by Lusaka Provincial Assistant Director, Simulyamana Choonga, during the commemoration of World Diabetes Day, Dr. Muchima revealed that the commonness of diabetes in Zambia was estimated at 11.9% in the age group of 20 to 79 years as of 2021.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, over 535 million adults globally are living with diabetes, with projections indicating that this number could rise to 700 million by 2045.
Dr. Muchima noted that Lusaka alone has seen a significant increase in cases of Type 2 diabetes over the past three years, calling the trend alarming.
He emphasized that the rising number of diabetes cases poses serious challenges to public health and threatens to overwhelm healthcare systems.
