The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced the start of a pilot programme to prequalify human insulin to increase treatment for diabetes in low- and middle-income countries. The decision, announced ahead of World Diabetes Day (14 November), is part of a series…
“I would only inject a little bit of the prescription so that we could reserve it for another day until we got some money.” In 2014, Viola received a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. This form of the disease means…
Before Syria's civil war began, Hamad, 67, was a successful farmer in Tafas, a town not far from Syria’s border with Israel. Together with his sons, he farmed 100 acres of fertile tomato fields and olive groves. He took pride…
In 2 years, the world will celebrate the centenary of the discovery of insulin for the treatment of diabetes. An estimated 20–40 million people worldwide require this essential medicine for survival. This includes all patients with type 1 diabetes who…
Multisectoral networks have a vital role in meeting the needs of vulnerable people, says Ruth Hunter. Human suffering in humanitarian settings is not just a direct result of a conflict or humanitarian disaster but includes death and disability from non-communicable…
With diabetes rapidly spreading around the globe, its prevalence among refugees and others fleeing war and natural disaster has also risen. But awareness of diabetes as a medical issue humanitarian workers should be ready to deal with has lagged. That…
Miriam*, 65, spends her days sitting on a floor mat in her brother’s home, massaging her swollen arms and legs. She lives in a village set among sweeping green fields in northeast Syria. When war descended over two years ago…