Fighting an epidemic

Diabetes has become a rapidly escalating problem in low-income countries. It is at one of the highest rates in the world in the Pacific, despite being uncommon only a generation ago.

Throughout the Pacific, diabetes and its devastating outcomes, such as blindness, are often caused by a lack of healthy food choices, which can be out of reach for people living in poverty, and a lack of awareness about what causes the disease.

The disease is having devastating repercussions on the population in the Pacific - it has been described as an epidemic. The below video shows the personal impact diabetes is having on just one person, 22-year-old Clerence.

During our recent outreach to Vanuatu, our visiting team saw many diabetes eye disease cases. Clerence’s was one of the saddest.

When the team met Clerence at her home, she was sitting alone in the dark, in a wheelchair that once belonged to her father. She was not able to join a village celebration taking place next door to her home. But she was still smiling and welcoming, glad to see us.

At this point, many things might have helped Clerence. For example, if she had been able to follow a healthier diet. Unfortunately, many of the foods that will help diabetics are very expensive in Vanuatu. Especially for a family without a breadwinner. (Clerence’s father died last year from diabetes, at 48 years old.)

"It's very expensive what they tell us to eat. Greens, brown bread, brown sugar, brown rice. Not too much white rice or bread."

Under-treated, her diabetes has led to a series of complications which has led to infections. When she has come to our outreaches, we have been unable to operate because of these infections. For example, at our last outreach a year ago, an infected boil on her face meant we had to postpone her treatment once again.

Diabetes is now so common across the Pacific that many patients and their families accept it as normal. Similarly, the conditions associated with this disease, such as diabetes eye disease.

In February 2019, Clerence was the first patient at the new Vanuatu National Eye Centre and the country’s first permanent eye doctor, Dr Kasso, operated on her. Clerence can now see properly for the first time in years. As Dr Kasso checked Clerence’s vision she shouted, “I kiln I pitim kiln!” [More than clear!].

If the diabetes that led to her eye disease had been recognised and managed properly most of her problems, including her cataracts, might have been avoided.

Clerence is just one of many who is affected by the epidemic of diabetes hitting the Pacific, as people are having to move away from the healthy foods that were the mainstays of their traditional diet. We believe the scale of diabetes within the Pacific requires a co-ordinated approach, involving governments, other key organisations and The Foundation.

This approach involves:

• Raising awareness through targeted campaigns in the Pacific communities. Well-informed patients are more likely to come and see us earlier and manage their diabetes properly.
  
  
• Helping to train local doctors and nurses to ensure early signs of diabetes are recognised and patient referral systems are strengthened.
  
  
• Providing necessary facilities and equipment. For example, we're extending and upgrading our eye clinic in Vanuatu to cater for the increasing number of patients with diabetes eye disease.
  

This is a large-scale undertaking that requires full-on commitment from our Pacific eye teams. It also requires the support of people like you, whose donations will make it possible to overcome this challenge.

With your help we can provide the solution. Without it we can’t, and people like Clerence will continue to suffer.

• View a gallery of images highlighting this recent outreach to Port Vila National Eye centre, Vanuatu.
• Radio NZ highlights The Foundation's fight against diabetes eye disease.