by Karina Hunter

Jackie Jung R.N. C.D.E. (Local Diabetes Nurse Educator & Certified Diabetes Educator)

The Manitouwadge Diabetes Health and Wellness Program’s (MDHWP) Coordinator Jackie Jung, R.N. C.D.E. has returned to Manitouwadge having spent a week in Montreal, Quebec at the International Diabetes Federation’s 20th World Diabetes Congress. Jung, participated in the meeting of the global diabetes community described as one of the most significant events on the global health calendar. Held every two years, the five-day congress attracted 12,000 international delegates including physicians, scientists, nurses, educators and other healthcare professionals, as well as people with diabetes, representatives from IDF member associations and members of the press to access the latest data and opinion from the scientific community, discuss key issues in diabetes care, and exchange information on how available resources can best be used to tackle the global diabetes problem.

At the opening ceremonies IDF Dignitaries joined the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Canadian Minister of Health in welcoming the thousands of delegates from across the globe to Canada. Featured was a tribute to Banting & Best and the discovery of insulin in 1921, people from more than 160 countries were treated to an exiting circus performance from the hometown of “Cirque du Soleil” and as traditional Québec folk band Le Vent du Nord orchestrated their interactive wooden spoon performance all nations rose to their feet, wooden spoons in hand, to accompany them.

Jung said she left the congress feeling energized by the experience eager to bring key learnings back to Manitouwadge and see how local adaption and implementation could best benefit MDHWP clients with diabetes as well as those at risk. “I have taken away many things that will feed into the setting of the MDHWP helping to improve diabetes care in Manitouwadge.”

Professor Philip Home, Chair of the The IDF Congress Programme Committee reported that feedback from congress participants had been “enthusiastically positive” and that sessions covering lifestyle issues and a number of IDF initiatives such as new clinical guidelines were very popular. Attendees also remarked on what a lively networking meeting the congress had been.

The diabetes mega-congress highlighted a need for increased political action to affect change; this was emphasized through the launch of the IDF’s 4^th Edition Diabetes Atlas estimating 285 million now live with diabetes a number expected to reach nearly 440 million by 2030 if current trends are not addressed.  The stark news added to shared frustration among participants that not enough is being done to address the global diabetes threat and strengthened their resolve to present a united front meeting this challenge.

Of special interest to Jung was meeting IDF Member Association representatives at the Global Village where many countries had booths providing information on their various diabetes programs along with items of remembrance.  She was especially moved meeting an African man suffering from Type 1 Diabetes who expressed frustration with struggles in his country regarding insufficient access to insulin and diabetes education. He offered an open invitation to anyone willing to come to his country to be and train diabetes educators.  Jung explained that for children in many third world countries diabetes can be a death sentence because of the inadequacy of insulin. This reinforced one of the IDF’s main messages for the week “Insulin for all”. The global diabetes community re-convenes in two years at the 21st World Diabetes Congress in Dubai 2011.

In 2007, Canada had the highest prevalence of IDF among all IDF Regions, 2.2 million people. Each year while 7 million people in the world develop diabetes, 3.8 million deaths are attributed to the disease. To put that even more in perspective, every 10 seconds a person dies from diabetes-related causes while in that same time two people have developed the disease.

If you or someone you love has diabetes, find help from the Northern Diabetes Health Network (NDHN) at www.ndhn, from their member program the Manitouwadge Health and Wellness Program at www.manitouwadgediabetes.org, or by contacting Jung at 826-3251 ext. 208. 

 Submitted to The Echo, 10.25.09