World Diabetes Day was observed in 1991 by IDF and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. It is marked every year on 14th November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.
World Diabetes Day is the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching a global audience of over 1 billion people in more than 160 countries. The blue circle, the global symbol for diabetes awareness, signifies the unity of the global diabetes community in response to the diabetes epidemic.
Every year, the World Diabetes Day campaign focuses on a dedicated theme that runs for one or more years. The theme for WDD 2019 is “Family & Diabetes”.
The primary aim of the World Diabetes Day 2019 campaign is to raise awareness of the impact that diabetes has on the family and to promote the role of the family in the management, care, prevention, and education of the condition.
World Diabetes Day 2019 focuses on 3 aspects: diagnosis, prevention, and management.