Kathmandu, October 17:

President Dr Ram Baran Yadav today inaugurated the First Diabetes in Asia Study Group (DASG) 2008 conference in Kathmandu.

The conference with the theme of ‘Implementation of Primary Prevention Strategies for Type 2 diabetes’ is expected to draft guidelines for the prevention of diabetes in view with local factors.

Experts from different parts of the world have been attending the conference to exchange their experiences and seek ways to jointly fight the disease. According to the organisers, over 246 million people are currently affected by diabetes across the world and the number is predicted to rise to 380 million by 2025. More than 180 million diabetics will be from Asian continent and more than 80 million from the South East Asia.

“On this backdrop, it is very necessary to fight against the disease and prevention is the primary step to cure diabetes,” said Dr DL Sing, president, Nepal Diabetes Association (NDA).

Professor Samad Shera, Diabetes in Asia Study Group and honorary president of International

Diabetes Federation (IDF), said the earth would not be able to bear the burden of more diabetic patients.

He said change in lifestyle was a must to prevent the disease. In the October 17-18 conference, organised by DASG in collaboration with NDA and IDF, leading physicians and diabetologists from Asia and outside will present research papers and lectures.