Superheroes are back in a big way — on the big screen and in the international development scene. In their annual letter in February, Bill and Melinda Gates talked about super powers they wish they had. And now the World Health Organization is tapping the powers of caped crusaders in the hopes of putting a stop to the rise of diabetes worldwide.
From an estimated 108 million in 1980, diabetes prevalence has quadrupled to 422 million in 2014, according to WHO’s global report on diabetes, shared with Devex ahead of World Health Day. But if traditionally diabetes is mainly seen in adults, the report notes it is now increasingly found in children and youth — with access to food and beverages high in sugar content appearing to be a major culprit.
The alarming trend has government and aid organizations reacting in a variety of ways. Mexico, for example, implemented in 2014 an additional 10 percent tax on sugary drinks in the hopes of cutting down on the obesity rate, which increases the risk of developing diabetes and at the time stood at 33 percent among children and 70 percent among adults.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
