More awareness needed of diabetes problem in Wales

Campaigners for greater awareness of the dramatic increase in diabetes in Wales have lobbied the Welsh government to raise awareness about the issue. With recent reports showing that the amount of new type 2 diabetes cases in the principality increased by 7,000 last year, it is hoped the Welsh government will do more to raise awareness of the condition.
Dai Williams, national director for Diabetes UK Wales, sees “a massive awareness campaign as a matter of urgency”, while Jeffrey Stephens, a diabetes expert from Swansea University, also commented “We need people to understand that type 2 diabetes is dangerous and they are living in the middle of an epidemic.”
Dr Stephens claimed that the majority of type 2 diabetes cases are connected with obesity, and that the prevalence of the condition in Wales was about 5 per cent higher than for the rest of the UK.
However, a spokesperson for the Welsh government responded that they had organised an expert group in a bid to fight the metabolic condition, which now affects 160,533 people in Wales, and is expected to hit the 250,000 mark by 2025. It is also claimed the cost of the disease to the NHS in Wales is about GBP500 million every year, about a tenth of its budget.