Diabetes prevention starts with us

Reality check: Diabetes is one of the major public health burdens in Malaysia now.

WE refer to your report “Health DG: Number of diabetic patients increasing every year” (Nov 11; online at https://bit.ly/3kvB17U). As stated in the report, diabetes is one of the major public health burdens in Malaysia, where nearly one in five people suffer from the disease, according to the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019.

While we cannot control our genetic susceptibility to diabetes, we have the power to adjust our lifestyles to prevent its onset. Prevention is particularly important in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, as diabetes patients are more likely to develop serious illnesses if they contract the virus.