Michael Hirst, President of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), said in an interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm that his daughter’s illness encouraged him to become a health advocate for diabetes and educate patients about its risks.
He called for concerted international efforts by governments to contain the disease, adding that the political unrest in the Middle East exacerbates the rate of the disease.
He also said that there are eight million diabetics in Egypt, ranking Egypt number eight in the world, and expects the country's rank will jump to number seven.
Q: What are the latest statistics about the disease?
A: Statistics confirm that one person in the world dies of diabetes every six seconds and that one person is diagnosed with the disease every three seconds.
There are 387 million diabetics in the world, a figure that I expect will rise to 592 million by 2035.
We are issuing statistics in October that will indicate how significantly the rate of the disease has increased.
Q: What should governments do to reduce the rate?
A: Governments, especially in developing countries, should educate people about the risks of diabetes. Half of the patients are not aware they are diabetic unless a major complication occurs.
Q: Does the political turmoil in the Middle East raise the rate?
A: By all means. The Middle East has a high rate.
Q: And how about Egypt?
A: There are eight million diabetics in Egypt, ranking Egypt number eight in the world. I expect it will jump to number seven due to lifestyle factors.
Q: What do you think about Egyptians?
A: They are a great people with a great civilization. I have visited Egypt many times. Each time, I feel I do not want to leave. You can ask my wife.
I am coming again in November to attend an event organized by the Health Ministry on World Diabetes Day.
Q: What made you decide to become an advocate for the disease?
A: When it hit my daughter at an early age. She would not have made it without the proper treatment. I always recommend early detection.
I visited the world’s largest insulin factory in Denmark. They are allocating 15 percent of the revenue to spend on research in order to discover new drugs and eradicate the disease.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
