Médecine tropicale : revue du Corps de santé colonial
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In contradiction with long-standing conventional wisdom that it is a rich country's disease, diabetes mellitus is increasingly a major concern in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Care facilities have not kept pace with the sharp increase in diabetes mellitus. The WHO has predicted a worldwide rise in the prevalence of diabetes that is expected to affect 300 million people by 2025. ⋯ The rapid increase in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in sub-Saharan Africa is a serious challenge. There is an urgent need to obtain accurate figures about the extent of the pandemia as a basis for training an adequate number of health care personnel and implementing sufficient resources to allow local management. Meeting this challenge will require enhancement of the awareness and participation of all players involved in public health.