Experts at a one-day diabetes summit in Ibadan, Oyo State, lamented the increasing number of undiagnosed and untreated diabetes in the country.

The group of experts at the summit, with the theme “Achieving improved and Sustained NCD (Diabetes and Hypertension) care in Oyo State, which was organised by  Strategies for Improving Diabetes Care in Nigeria (SIDCAIN), described diabetes as silent epidemic that must be checked from ravaging the country.

Dr Jokotade Adeleye, Consultant Endocrinologist, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, said diabetes was largely preventable, stressing that screening for those at risk was highly essential.

The medical expert, who remarked that African countries ranked highest in complications of diabetes, stated that education was important to check diabetes and its complications in the society.

She stated that this was higly important because “we do not have the structures to manage the complications of diabetes.”

In order that diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases do not become a threat to life and cause economic stagnation of Nigeria, Dr Adeleye called for increased intervention on diabetes prevention, as well as lifestyle measures that reduced or delay diabetes.

According to her, people in the communities must know more about diabetes, adding that, “for resource poor countries, prevention is a reasonable strategy because we can’t afford the cost of diabetes care.”

Earlier, Dr Peter Adewuyi, in a new report by SIDCAIN on community-based diabetes risk assessment in Oyo State, indicated that about 2.5 per cent of screened residents in the state had a high chance to develope diabetes in 10 years from now.

Dr Adewuyi, who attributed this to increasing obesity and sedentary living in the state, put the incidence of diabetes from the new survey by the group at 4.49 per cent, compared with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimate of 4.04 per cent.

In her keynote address, Mrs Temitope Olofin, Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Hospital Management Board, also lamented the low level of awareness about the disease in the community.

Mrs Olofin, who said education was inevitable to control the silent epidemic, said most health problems arose from dearth of information, ignorance and traditional beliefs about different diseases in the community.

She urged that the formal and informal education systems be tapped, so as to ensure that people do not become victims of diabetes.

The educationist, equally urged people with diabetes to comply with their doctors instructions, saying that diabetes and hypertension needed not to kill or maim.

Earlier, the Chairman, Hospital Management Board, Alhaji Olayide Abass, who spoke through Dr Adebayo Bello, said the state hospital board had commenced monthly check-ups of its workforce, to stem diabetes and hypertension complications.

Alhaji Abass disclosed that out of 360 workers of the hospital in Oyo State, 42 of them were found to be hypertensive, while 12 also showed signs of diabetes.

He, however, called on corporate bodies and individuals to support the reduction in the scourge of diabetes and hypertension in the state.

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