You are here:
More family funding needed for Type 1 diabetes
Following the Australian government’s
recent pledge of increased funding to support a national insulin pump grants
programme for Australian children with Type 1 diabetes, Diabetes New Zealand and Diabetes Youth New Zealand are calling for
greater funding for insulin pumps than the $60,000 that is provided nationally
at the moment.
'In Australia $A22 million will be
provided to improve the availability of insulin pump technology for struggling
Australian families,' says Diabetes New Zealand President Mike Smith. 'We would like to see similar
initiatives in this country, too. Diabetes Awareness Week, which is 20 to 26
November, is focusing on young people and Type 1 diabetes, and this is a good
time to be looking at these issues.'
The incidence of Type 1 diabetes in New Zealand is
increasing nationwide. About 15,000 people in this country have Type 1
diabetes, including 3,500 who are aged 25 and under, and the numbers are
estimated to be growing at 5% annually.
'New Zealand has one of the highest
rates of paediatric diabetes in the world, and is ranked in the top 10% for
risk of childhood diabetes according to the WHO DiaMond Study,' says diabetes
scientist Dr Jinny Willis.
'Beyond the statistics, there is the human
story to this,’ says Diabetes Youth New Zealand President Adrian Coombe. 'For young people with Type 1
diabetes there are no breaks and no short cuts. Type 1 diabetes can’t be
prevented or cured.
'This is a lifelong disease and it does
have implications for the wider population. This has a huge impact on the lives
of these children and young people. It affects their families and their
communities.'
Diabetes New Zealand would like to see more
research carried out in this area and more funding for a scientific examination
of the reasons for this increase.
'We have to ask, where are the researchers
here? Once again, we're calling for a register that can record and track the
statistics here and be used to truly calculate the numbers and needs of people
with diabetes. There is some terrific work done in New Zealand by Dr Willis
and her colleagues at Christchurch Hospital and the University of
Otago, Christchurch, but Diabetes New Zealand would like to see more research
funded and more money put into this area,' continues Mike
Smith.
The Christchurch team have
accurate records of all Canterbury
children and young people diagnosed with diabetes from 1970 to the present day.
This register of children with Type 1 diabetes is a unique resource by New Zealand and
international standards.
Canterbury appears to be a 'hot spot' for Type 1 diabetes. There has been a
three- to four-fold increase in the number of children and young people with
Type 1 diabetes in Canterbury
over the last 35 years.
'In the 1970s there were 5-10 children and
young people diagnosed annually, compared with current
rates of at least 30 new cases in the region each year,’
says Dr Willis. 'We still can't explain the rapid increase in attack
rates, but at least we are able to offer screening and participation in
international diabetes prevention programmes to anyone who has a close relative
with Type 1 diabetes.'
'At Diabetes Youth, we're very aware of the
numbers of New Zealand
families meeting the challenges of Type 1 diabetes,' says Adrian Coombe. 'There
is an economic and emotional cost with this disease for families. We would like
the government to invest in the best disease management to give these families
the best possible future.'
Published on this website on Tue, 20 Nov 2007