Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakko has revealed that about 15 percent of the people of the state have diabetes.
The governor made this known in Sokoto on Saturday at a ceremony to commemorate the 2014 World Diabetes Day. He noted that out of six million reported cases of diabetes in Nigeria, no fewer than 600,000 were in the state.
According to him, the statistics of the ailment in the state and the nation calls for urgent measures.
Wamakko, who was represented by the Sokoto state Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu said the government needs to do more to prevent the disease, as well as provide adequate medications to sufferers of the disease. He promised that his government will do its best in providing needed drugs and special diabetic foods for the patients.
The latest estimates from the International Diabetes Federation show that there are about 382 million people living with diabetes worldwide. Diabetes refers to a group of metabolic diseases that cause high blood sugar levels. This may happen due to inadequate production of insulin by the pancreas or when the cells of the body do not respond to the insulin produced.
World Diabetes Day (WDD) is celebrated every year on November 14. The World Diabetes Day campaign is led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its member associations. It engages millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness.
