The theme of this year?s campaign is ?Save your feet first, prevent amputation.? Why?

First, it is to be known that, every thirty seconds in the world, someone loses his leg because of diabetes. This campaign launched today aims at sensitising people with diabetes to the importance of taking care of their feet. It is in fact estimated that up to 70% of all lower limb amputations are related to diabetes. Not only is the impact of amputation devastating on people?s lives but it is also one of the most costly complications. Foot complications are in fact the most common cause of hospital admissions for people with diabetes. In the world today, 194 million people suffer from diabetes. According to estimates, this number will reach about 333 million in 2025. Therefore, something must be done to help people to avoid finding themselves in this situation.

What are the actions taken by your organization to help people suffering from diabetes in Mauritius?

We have been conducting, for years, different activities like counseling as well as sensitising campaigns on diabetes so as to enable people to lead a normal life. It is important not to let them be socially isolated because of their disease. It?s important to continue our actions as, in Mauritius, 20% of people aged under 30 have diabetes. We have, in recent years, decentralized our activities to six regions: Rivière du Rempart, Bois Savon, Quartier Militaire, Camp Fouquereaux, Bel Air and La Rosa. Some of the factors increasing the risk of diabetes are longer life expectancy, a sedentary lifestyle but also changing dietary patterns.