80 lakh Bangladeshis suffering from diabetes: State minister

Around 80 lakh people in Bangladesh are suffering from diabetes, State Minister for Health Zahid Malik said today.

"According to the World Health Organisation, over 34 crore people in the world are suffering from diabetes. And some 15 lakh people died of diabetes in 2012 across the world," the minister said at a press conference at his office this afternoon marking the World Health Day.

This year's slogan of the day, scheduled to be observed on April 7, is 'Make healthy choices every day, keep diabetes at bay'.

The WHO statistics also show that 80 percent of the world's diabetes patients are from lower and lower middle income countries, the state minister said.

"It is estimated that diabetes will be at the seventh place on the list of causes of death by 2030."

Replying to a query, the state minister said, "Balanced food, physical exercise, weight control, mental refreshment, quitting smoking, regular medics and regular body check-up can control and prevent diabetes."

Meanwhile, quoting a Bangladesh government survey conducted in 2010, Dr N Paranietharam, WHO representative to Bangladesh, said 83 percent population of age group 25-65 never checks for diabetes.

"If diabetes is detected at an early stage, it can be controlled," Dr Paranietharam said.