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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Nov. 14(Xinhua) -- Diabetes continues to be one of the leading causes of death in Brunei, after cancer and heart disease, said Haji Zulkarnain, the country's Minister of Health.
"About 12.4 percent of adults in Brunei Darussalam have diabetes. Research carried out by the Ministry of Health shows that worryingly, 44 percent of diabetes cases in the country are undiagnosed. This means that more than 20,000 people in Brunei are living with diabetes, but have not yet presented to the health services and therefore, do not even know that they have the condition," the minister was quoted as saying on Monday.
"Brunei Darussalam together with other countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) commemorate World Diabetes Day on Nov. 14 to raise awareness on the disease, encourage those battling the challenges and complexity of living with it and to give assurance to those affected by diabetes, both patients and families, that they are not alone in the fight," the minister added in his World Diabetes Day message.
According to the minister, nearly 50,000 of people in Brunei are living with diabetes and the number is growing. If untreated, diabetes can cause diabetic comas.
The impact of diabetes goes beyond just high sugar in the blood. Among adults in Brunei, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, kidney disease, and amputations. Further, people with diabetes are also two to four times more likely to experience heart attacks and strokes, the minister said in his message.
"This is why, in the fight against diabetes, the Ministry of Health focuses in particular on the prevention and early detection of the disease, in line with the theme of this year's World Diabetes Day 2016, 'Eyes on Diabetes'."
"The focus is on promoting the importance of screening to ensure early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and treatment to reduce the risk of serious complications," the minister added.
