JOIN US ‘Know Diabetes No Diabetes’, a nation-wide walkathon to spread awareness and check diabetes will be launched from the City by the Art of Living Foundation along with the Rotary Clubs of India, on Sunday.
Health Minister, Aravind Limbavali will launch the walkathon from the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association Stadium, Cubbon Park, at 8 am.
Nearly 4,000 participants are expected to turn up at the event which will involve largescale diabetes screening camps throughout the City and the State. Thousands of Rotarians in the State along with Sagar Hospital, who have sponsored the event, will help the cause.
Around 100 screening centres will be opened in the City and 1,600 such camps in the entire State in 23 districts will be conducted.
Contrary common understanding, even people in urban areas lack awareness about the disease, according to the organisers. The awareness drive will also concentrate on rural areas apart from urban centres.
Sixty per cent of the problem can be sorted out through awareness according to Ravindra Prasad, Managing Trustee, The Art of Living.
“The Art of Living volunteers will spread out to create awareness in these rural areas about the disease. We aim to reach one million people within one year and involve 35 villages.”
According to a 2011 report of the International Diabetes Federation, India has a total of 60.1 million diabetics and ranks second in the world with regard to the most number of diabetic cases next only to China with a figure of 90 million.
“Nearly 300 million - 350 million in the world are suffering from diabetes out of which every fifth diabetic is an Indian.
Europeans are affected by the disease in their sixth or seventh decade. Indians, however, have incidences even in the second or third decade of their life,” said Dr Mohan of Sagar Hospital.