APA-Rabat (Morocco) Despite efforts, the number of new cases continues to rise in the kingdom every year.
In Morocco, the burden of diabetes is reaching alarming proportions, currently affecting more than 2.7 million people, while 2.4 million are identified as pre-diabetic, according to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.
Despite efforts to combat the disease, between 90,000 and 100,000 new cases are recorded each year.
As the world commemorates World Diabetes Day on November 14, the occasion is of paramount importance in raising public awareness of the devastating health impact of this chronic disease.
It also highlights the urgent need to step up diabetes prevention initiatives, which are a major concern in many countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that diabetes will become the leading cause of death by 2030.
The International Diabetes Federation is sounding the alarm, estimating that 537 million people worldwide will be affected, or one in ten adults between the ages of 20 and 79.
Statistics for 2019 show that diabetes was directly responsible for 1.5 million deaths, 48 percent of which occurred before the age of 70.
In Morocco, the situation is particularly worrying, with more than 2.7 million people over the age of 18 living with the disease.
Alarmingly, almost half of these people are unaware that they have the disease.
At the same time, 2.4 million Moroccans have been identified as pre-diabetic.
Health authorities, aware of this worrying trend, point out that the number of people affected by this disease is constantly increasing and call for urgent action to curb this silent epidemic.
HA/lb/as/APA