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Diabetes Screening Campaign Shows Worrying Results
Fri, 01 Jul 2011
New cases of diabetes in India are continuing to rise at an "alarming" rate, according to the initial findings of a nationwide diabetes screening programme.

Delivering the inaugural address at the India Diabetes Summit in New Delhi, India’s Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the initial screening of people in Bangalore and Chennai had given "alarming results, reinforcing our cause for worry".

The minister said 14 per cent of people in Bangalore were found to be diabetic, 21 per cent had high blood pressure and 13 per cent were suffering both from diabetes and hypertension .

"Most persons affected did not have any symptoms nor did they know that they have diabetes or hypertension," he commented. In Chennai, the results of the three lakh individuals tested showed that nearly 50,000 had diabetes, 60,000 were hypertensive and 40,000 were suffering from both diabetes and hypertension. Around 3 per cent of pregnant women were also found to be diabetic .

The screening programme has been completed in the two southern cities and is expected to begin in Delhi later this month. Once the programme ends, the government will run awareness campaign through regional media and with the help of health workers.

India’s diabetes population is estimated to have risen to around 51 million, with two new cases of the disease occurring every 10 seconds.
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