Dealing with diabetes

DESPITE many campaigns against diabetes in Malaysia, its prevalence – especially that of Type II – has increased to epidemic proportions. With today’s population at 33 million and a prevalence rate of 18.3%, it is estimated that there are more than six million diabetics in Malaysia.

In fact, the noncommunicable (NCD) disease is so prevalent that one in every five Malaysians has been diagnosed with it, and children as young as five and six years old have been diagnosed with Type II diabetes (which used to occur in older people previously as an age-onset disease).