YLD to launch ‘Candy Campaign’ to aid in awareness for diabetes

Mar 24, 2019 News

In the growing fight to further raise awareness about diabetes in Guyana, the Young Leaders in Diabetes (YLD) is looking to launch a ‘Candy Campaign’ which is to help erase the stigma where the condition is highly associated with eating sweets.
The president of YLD, Keziah Nestor, stated, “Persons tend to generally connect eating sweets with diabetes. They always say that too much sweet brings on the condition and we would like to erase that norm.”
The Guyana Diabetes Association is moving to tackle public awareness about Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin.
Insulin is a hormone needed to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy. This condition although very rare in adults, usually appears during childhood or adolescence.
According to Nestor, “This campaign would mean a lot of persons can understand that diabetics need sugar just that it needs to be kept under close moderation.”
She highlighted that the initiative will be launched during the period of July and August. “Our main target is the children so we are hoping to have the campaign launched when they are away from school, therefore allowing us more time with them.”
Despite active research, Type 1 diabetes has no cure. Treatment focuses on managing blood sugar levels with insulin, diet and lifestyle to prevent complications.
Some signs and symptoms can appear relatively suddenly and may include: increased thirst, frequent urination, mood swings, blurred vision, etc.