With diabetes spreading fast in the far off rural India also, the Government on Friday launched a Rural Diabetes Prevention & Control Campaign from a village in  Varanasi district in Uttar Pradesh.

Dr Jitendra Singh, Science and Technology Minister who launched the campaign noted that “Spread of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is assuming epidemic proportions in India…the non-chronic disease, hitherto identified as afflicting mostly the rich and elite is now surging in rural India as well due to commonality of eating habits such as rising penchant for fast foods, more automation in agriculture and a resultant lack of physical activity.”

Dr Singh who is also a Professor of Medicine and a Diabetologist,  launched the programme at a Village Adoption Program under the aegis of Research Society for Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI) - Uttar Pradesh Chapter.

Terming the fast spread of Diabetes in the villages as a matter of grave concern, Dr Jitendra Singh said this has prompted a mass campaign for prevention of the disease in rural areas.

Lauding the efforts of RSSDI for taking this initiative towards diabetes prevention and management in rural India, he applauded the efforts quoting ICMR-INDIAB Study which says UP has 18% of its population in pre-diabetes stage.

“Such a large population, on the verge of being diabetic, can only be prevented if we start working for prevention in villages in the vicinity of big cities & progressing fast to urbanization. The idea of choosing Ramnagar for this initiative seems appropriate,” he said.

Dr Singh also appreciated the efforts done by RSSDI UP Chapter by adopting four villages in Barabanki in 2019 where people’s lives are better and diabetes control is improved.

“This encourages us to continue efforts in the same direction, in fact in a more intensive manner,” he said.

Dr Singh said, over the last two decades, India has seen a surge in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, which has now acquired pan-Indian proportions. He said, Type 2 Diabetes, which was till two decades ago prevalent mostly in South India, is today equally rampant in North India and at the same time, it has also moved from metros, cities and urban areas to rural hinterland.

Quoting from the Indian Council of Medical Research Guidelines, the Minister said, the past three decades witnessed a 150 per cent increase in the number of people with diabetes in the country. He said, the main concern is the progressive lowering of the age at which Type 2 Diabetes is being diagnosed, with the disease prevalence becoming apparent in the age group of 25-34 years in both urban and rural areas.

He advised people to take a call on their heath welfare as lifestyle management plays an essential role in managing Type 2 Diabetes, and understanding the effect of diet and physical activity on glycemia is essential for optimal management of the disease.

Dr Singh highlighted that the Indian phenotype is different from the Westerners and the genetic preponderance is also quite different. As a result, the pathogenesis and progress of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and other related metabolic disorders is not the same as in the Western populations.

Dr Singh said that in times to come, India is all set to lead the Diabetes research in the world.

“India has a huge resource pool of patients with different manifestations of diseases at different stages and at the same time there is no dearth of calibre, capacity and acumen on the part of our researchers. It is therefore the right time to generate as much Indian data as possible because the goal should be to develop Indian treatment regimens for Indian patients, Indian solutions for Indian problems,” he said.