World Diabetes Day – November 14, 2022

World Diabetes Day, celebrated annually on November 14, was first established in 1991 by the International Diabetes Foundation and the World Health Organization. Diabetes is a chronic disease in which a person's pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin. It can also lead to serious health problems, which is why we spread awareness and education on this day.

History of World Diabetes Day

Diabetes is thought to have appeared around 1550 B.C. The successful extraction and injection of insulin was discovered in 1922. Thus, our understanding of diabetes is relatively new relative to its long and difficult development throughout history.

The distinction between Type II and Type I began around 1850, when medical professionals thought they knew enough about the difference to divide them into two categories.

Since then, the percentage of people with type II diabetes has risen rapidly to 90%, affecting an estimated $425 million people worldwide. This alarming increase is one of the reasons why the World Health Organization and IDF wanted to create World Diabetes Day to help spread awareness about diabetes.

Controlling blood sugar levels on a daily basis is both a time-consuming and costly endeavor, as the global economic cost of diabetes is approximately $727 billion (USD), with $245 billion in the United States alone, almost one-third of that amount.

This high cost and its prevention gives us even more reason to spread awareness of the disease and celebrate the birth of the man who helped introduce insulin as an effective treatment to the modern world.

How to celebrate World Diabetes Day

Wear the blue circle

The blue circle symbol is a global symbol for diabetes awareness. On World Diabetes Day, wear a t-shirt, necklace or bracelet with the diabetes logo on it, or make one yourself to make others aware of this dangerous disease and its effects.

Organize a diabetes fair

Work with health officials to organize a diabetes fair where you work or in your community. Offer diabetes screenings, spread information and brochures, and provide information on how people can prevent type 2 diabetes and stay healthy.

Get tested

Symptoms of diabetes include, but are not limited to, excessive urination, thirst, constant hunger, weight loss, vision changes and fatigue. In addition, being overweight or obese can greatly increase the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that one out of every two adults with diabetes is undiagnosed. Use World Diabetes Day as a reminder to get checked out if you have any risk factors or symptoms.