The South African government has adopted a national target to bring the blood sugar levels of people with diabetes under control. But beyond the target, the country’s response to diabetes is falling far short. In this Spotlight special briefing, Catherine Tomlinson looks at what the country needs to do to better manage this often fatal disease and how we can draw lessons from the response to HIV.
As a type 1 diabetic, first diagnosed only days away from slipping into a hyperglycaemic coma, diabetes education is close to Bridget McNulty’s heart. Biénne Huisman chatted to McNulty about living with the condition, starting South Africa’s largest online diabetes community, and what can be done to improve diabetes education in South Africa.
Experts describe rising obesity rates in South Africa as an “urgent crisis”, “a tsunami” – even an “epidemic” – that is costing lives, not to mention billions of rands. Tackling the situation warrants an action plan that is as comprehensive and cogent as the problem is dire. But does the new national strategy fit the bill? Amy Green asked several local experts.
Obesity is a complicated public health issue that can be devastating on both the societal and the individual level. New weight loss medicines have shown remarkable efficacy in clinical trials, but their high cost is limiting uptake. Amy Green asks where these new medicines should fit into South Africa’s response to rising levels of obesity.
