By 2015, more than 400 million adults were affected by diabetes and five million annual deaths from complications resulting from the disease were being recorded.  
As the burden grows huge, about 415 million adults were living with diabetes in 2015 and this number is expected to increase to around 642 million by 2040. One in two adults with diabetes is undiagnosed, according to estimates by International Diabetes Federation (IDF).
Every year, the Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA) observes World Diabetes Day (WDD) in conjunction with the rest of the world, which falls on November 14. 
Scores of people including school children in great numbers will participate in the WDD Walkathon organised by the QDA this year at Museum of Islamic Art Park on November 11. The six-hour-long programme is free for the public and will start at 3pm.
The event, organised in collaboration with the Landmark Group, is aimed at creating awareness about diabetes and will also offer blood sugar tests, and nutrition counselling.
“The participants will be provided with t-shirts, caps, healthy snacks and water for free at the event,” says QDA about the one-kilometre-long walk.
The theme of World Diabetes Day 2016 is ‘Eyes on Diabetes.’ This year’s activities and materials are focusing on promoting the importance of screening to ensure early diagnosis of type-2 diabetes and treatment to reduce the risk of serious complications.
World Diabetes Day was introduced in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in response to the alarming rise of diabetes around the world.
“World Diabetes Day is a campaign that features a new theme chosen by the International Diabetes Federation each year to address issues facing the global diabetes community,” says IDF.
While the campaigns last the whole year, the day itself marks the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea that led to the discovery of insulin in 1922.
Each year, World Diabetes Day is centred on a theme related to diabetes. Topics covered before have included diabetes and human rights, diabetes and lifestyle, diabetes and obesity, diabetes in the disadvantaged and the vulnerable, and diabetes in children and adolescents.
The IDF says screening for type 2 diabetes is important to modify its course and reduce the risk of complications.
Many people live with type 2 diabetes for a long period of time without being aware of their condition. By the time of diagnosis, diabetes complications may already be present.
“Up to 70% of type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented or delayed by adopting healthier lifestyles, equivalent to up to 160 million cases by 2040,” the federation adds.
With increasing levels of poor nutrition and physical inactivity among children in many countries, type 2 diabetes in childhood has the potential to become a global public health issue leading to serious health outcomes, it warns.
About 12 percent of the total global expenditure on health is currently spent on adults with diabetes.
The number of people with diabetes in low and middle-income countries will continue to grow, posing a threat to sustainable development. For example by 2040, the number of people with diabetes in Africa is expected to double, the federation projects.
“More than 640 million of us may be living with diabetes by 2040. Delayed diagnosis means that many people with type 2 diabetes will suffer from at least one complication by the time they are diagnosed with diabetes,” says IDF.
In many countries diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, cardiovascular disease, kidney failure and lower-limb amputation. “More of us will develop and live with type 1 diabetes. Screening for diabetes complications is an important part of effective management of the disease, to ensure optimal health,” says the federation.
Of the 415 million adults living worldwide with diabetes in 2015, over one third will develop some form of diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that can lead to vision impairment and blindness.
More than 93 million adults, or one in three, currently living with diabetes have diabetic retinopathy.
The management of diabetes and its complications begins in primary health care and this should include screening for diabetic retinopathy, suggest the healthcare body.
Early detection and timely treatment of diabetic retinopathy can prevent vision loss and reduce the impact of diabetes on individuals, their careers and society. Careful management of diabetes and screening for diabetic eye disease can help prevent visual impairment and blindness.
The global health spending to treat diabetes and manage complications was estimated at USD 673 billion in 2015.