Ahead of World Diabetes Day to be celebrated on November 13, stakeholders meeting in Nairobi last week to explored ways of containing the deadly killer disease causing untold, needless suffering and holding back development of many worlds’ poorest countries.

The four-day meeting under the banner Tuzungumzie Kisukari- sought to improve ways of communicating and reporting diabetes in Kenya, where the disease is emerging a leading but silent killer for those 30-65 years. The collaborative project aids to improve public access to information on diabetes in Kenya. It aims to build critical mass of journalist to have general information on diabetes, its consequences and how to access information on prevention and care services.

Dr. Patrick Waihenya Mwangi – Head of Non Communicable Diseases in Kenya, appreciated the project - saying it would build journalists’ capacity to cover health issues. Dr Waihenya said diabetes know no boundary and urged for change in lifestyle, healthy diet and physical activity to contain the disease.

In Kenya, the disease has been branded as ‘a national disaster’, responsible for more deaths than HIV and spreading ever more rapidly. Joseph Ndungu - a Diabetes Health Educator -urged for urgent efforts to stem the nation’s greatest scourge. He says behavioral and attitudinal change is prerequisite for successful diabetes prevention and management.

Dr James Kibacchio said in Kenya childhood obesity predisposes kids to diabetes and called for more public awareness on the disease. He decried poor health seeking behavioral among Kenyans, despite prevention of diabetes being cost effective and requiring little technical expertise.

“Like many lifestyle diseases now responsible for 60 per cent of deaths in developing countries, diabetes is responsible for four-fifths of kidney failure most cases of preventable blindness, lower limb amputations, heart disease and other organ failure. The disease is a blight that is striking ever more Kenyans, ever younger, with hospitals reporting an increase of up to 50 per cent in serious cases in the last 12 months. There is no more time for diabetes to remain unchecked, untreated and unaddressed,” Kibacchio says.

Grace Omollo, Nursing Officer at Rift Valley Provincial hospital (Nakuru) says the hospital offers support to diabetic patients. “Through Patient Support Group, the hospital offers treatment, adherent to the diet and follow up treatment to our patients” she says adding that the hospital has received diabetic patient as young as three years.

Dr Willis Akhwale, head of Diseases Prevention and Control says Kenya like many Africa countries is aggressively and vigorously tackling both infectious as well Non Communicable Diseases. On a positive note Dr Akhwale, there is a global move to ban tobacco smoking, which causes many NCDs, by accelerating implementation of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) - a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative. Kenya signed and ratified the document the same day, signaling her commitment to tackle diabetes.

The meeting brought together representatives from the media, health personnel and diabetes patients to explore new ways to enhance diabetes information. The pilot advocacy project is funded by World Diabetes Foundation and is being implemented by International Media Support in collaboration with Kenya Diabetes management and Information Center.

Martin Gatehi – a diabetic patient and IDF Youth Ambassador says alternative therapy is better than scientific therapy in managing diabetes. Mr Gatehi says in many cases, diabetes remains undiagnosed, many symptoms missed or treated as common ailments.

The Nairobi meeting followed two important meetings held to tackle the diabetes menace. In September 2011, countries promised at United Nations General Assembly to put diabetes at the forefront of their healthcare concerns. In July 2012, the inaugural African Diabetes Congress organized by International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Africa Region in Arusha, Tanzania addressed ways of improving life for people living with diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).