As the conference of the European Association for the study of Diabetes or EASD Diabetes conference opens in the Portuguese capital Lisbon, one South African initiative is taking the problem out on the road.
The Changing Diabetes Bus travels around the country offering free screening to detect the disease and offers advice to existing sufferers. The service, sponsored by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, is open to anyone.
According to The World Health Organization, diabetes is likely to triple in South Africa over the next 15 years. Many people with the disease go undetected and go without treatment. The bus aims to try to change that.
Mark Bird was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2010. He says this check up service is very convenient. The bus is just the incentive he needs.
"Sometimes you don't feel motivated to go and make an appointment with the doctor and all that type of thing. Whereas a thing like this is very convenient. I think it's a great boon for the general public, to know and raise awareness."
Felicity Giles of Diabetes South Africa says prevention is better than cure.
"If you see someone doing screening, you go out there and get yourself tested. Because sometimes you have been diabetic for a while and don't know about it, and that's when complications can occur."
Nurse Prudy Serobatse explains how blood can thicken if a person eats too much sugar.
"Remember if you put a lot of sugar in water, it tends to thicken. So that's the same thing that happens to your blood, it tends to thicken. And when the blood is expected to move at a certain pace, yours would be thick and would be moving at a slower pace."
Blindness is one of the serious possible risks of diabetes.
The Diabetes Leadership Forum estimates half a million sub-Saharan Africans are blind as a result of diabetes.
The Changing Diabetes bus also offers eye screenings, examining the back of each eye for possible damage.
Changing Diabetes bus manager Martin Salkow describes some of the warning signs of diabetes:
"People should be most importantly aware of the signs and symptoms of diabetes. These would include frequent urination, rapid weight loss, tiredness, irritability, constantly they're very thirsty the whole time. Take note of these symptoms, and if you suspect that you do have diabetes or you do have any of these symptoms, go to your pharmacy or your clinic and be checked for diabetes."
The 47th EASD runs until Friday 16 September.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
