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Get rid of the
paunch...or else
RID the body of the
excessive bulge in the middle, drop weight or face the consequences of
diabetes. Prof Errol Morrison of Jamaica, was blunt and direct
yesterday, revealing that diabetes in the region has reached an epidemic
stage. The 57-year-old Morrison, a UWI Pro Vice Chancellor and Professor of Endocrinology (study of the endocrine system), drafted a blueprint to be copied to government and non-governmental organisations. “Given expected setbacks, we should get strong governmental support in five years once we convince them on the gravity of the situation here,” he said. Morrison made his point during the one-hour wrap-up session of the two-day Strategic Planning Workshop on Diabetes at the Hilton Trinidad put on by the Diabetes Association of Trinidad and Tobago (DATT). He attributed the sharp increase of the disease among the Caribbean people to a direct result of poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, too much drinking and smoking, rather than the hereditary factor. “Yes, it could be called a hereditary disease, but the onset could be delayed and even avoided with exercise, and a healthy lifestyle,” said Morrison, warning that the “big beer belly” was a big factor. He called upon men to make every effort to win the “battle of the bulge” insisting that too much weight around the middle was dangerous and inevitable led to the diabetes (a breakdown in the pancreas resulting in the inability of the body to absorb sugar and starch). More than 75,000 Trinidadians were diabetics and Morrison said the figure was much higher per capita in his native Jamaica. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) 55 per cent of the people in the Caribbean will be hit with diabetes in the next 15 years. “That’s why it is imperative that governments join in the fight to stop the increase of cases,” he said. Morrison’s strategic plan to woo regional governments in the battle against diabetes includes the creation of an information package for politicians, officials and people affected by the disease. Also on the board is a plan to create greater public awareness, massive support from the media in encouraging feature articles, letters to the editor and the launching of seminars to further enlighten writers on the disease. It was the consensus of the experts at the workshop that misleading articles and mis-information of diabetes appear too often in print in daily newspapers. A local radio station had promised to host a one hour programme on the topic which will be chaired by Trinidad and Tobago’s Dr Neville Byam. Reiterating that the key was a proper diet and exercise, Morrison revealed that many people remain ignorant on the disease, pointing out that Type 1 and Type 2 inevitable led to the same thing down the road impotency, amputations, blindness. He agreed that the “fear of impotency” as a result of acquiring diabetes should be enough to convince the “macho Caribbean” man to adopt a healthy lifestyle. “That factor should be elaborated some more,” he said. There were also solid contributions throughout the day from Dr Alberto Barcello (Paho/WHO representative), who stated that full information from the workshop will be collated and circulated in a week’s time. Zobida Ragbirsingh, president of DATT, argued that the Trinidad and Tobago Government had given over $600 million in the fight against the Hiv virus, which caused Aids. “We will be happy for just$1 million,” she said, adding that that government’s aid to diabetes was nominal.
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