St. Kitts acknowledges Diabetes Week
By Melissa Bryant
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THIS week (Nov. 9 to 15) marks the recognition of St. Kitts’ first-ever Diabetes Week and is being facilitated by the St. Kitts Lions Club in collaboration with the Ministry of Health under the theme ‘Diabetes in Children and Adolescents’.
The week features a myriad of activities that are designed to raise awareness of diabetes and its impact on children and to encourage participation in the campaign against diabetes by the government, media and business entities.
Throughout the week several local radio health programmes will focus specifically on health, including ZIZ’s ‘A Voice for Health’, ‘Health Wise’, and Dominion radio’s ‘Health Chapter’.
The week officially opened with an address by Minister of Health Hon. Rupert Herbert and a church service at the St. Georges Anglican Church on Sunday, November 9.
Today (Nov. 12) volunteers from the Joseph N. France Hospital and some of the island’s medical schools will screen the general public for diabetes at Independence Square. This service will also be available at the Washington Archibald High School (WAHS) so that its students can check their blood sugar levels.
According to Lions Club President Terrence Richards, WAHS was chosen due to its establishment of a diabetes support and intervention group that aims to heighten consciousness of the disease, especially juvenile onset diabetes.
Businesses and private enterprises are encouraged to participate in the Blue Lightning activity in which they will be asked to install blue lights on their premises and have them lit from midnight on Friday (Nov. 14) until noon. Royal Bank of Canada, Kajola Kristada, OD Brisbane and TDC are among the companies that have signed onto the initiative. ~~Adz:Right~~
Friday is also World Diabetes Day, which will commemorate with a march from Greenlands to Independence Square. Among those participating in the march are pupils from the various Basseterre primary and secondary schools, nurses and other health professionals, St. Kitts Lions Club and the St. Kitts Leo’s Club, and several of the nation’s diabetics.
The Agriculture Department will establish booths in the Square offering healthy fruits and vegetables while suppliers of the various diabetes medicine will also be present displaying their stock. Screening will also be available again at this time.
On Saturday (Nov. 15) Basseterre High School will host a Diabetic Symposium in which a dietician and two medical doctors will discuss proper nutrition and how to avoid complications resulting from diabetes.
Richards noted that many people diagnosed with the disease do not take the proper steps to manage the disease until they experience the symptoms, which include blurred vision and poor circulation.
“All you have to do is live in moderation. Watch your diet, exercise regularly, eat regularly and reduce your intake of certain foods that are not good for you. You should also ensure that you are receiving proper treatment,” he cautioned.
