Alert: Financial Scams Are on the Rise in Brazil
13/11/2026
By Carlos Fernandes, do Ongrace
– imagem: By Magnific
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Efforts to raise awareness, promote prevention and encourage early action against diabetes take center stage on November 14, observed as World Diabetes Day. The issue is increasingly urgent: this metabolic disease, characterized by insufficient insulin production or impaired insulin absorption — insulin being the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels — is one of the greatest public health challenges worldwide. By the middle of this century, the number of people living with diabetes is estimated to exceed 850 million, many of them in the Global South, where health care services are less developed.
The latest atlas published by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) presented a troubling figure for Brazil: approximately 17 million Brazilians are currently living with diabetes. For this reason, the medical community unanimously emphasizes the urgent need to improve early detection, provide ongoing care and help reduce the risks associated with the condition, including cardiovascular and kidney diseases, neuropathies, vision damage and other chronic complications.
In both type 1 diabetes (an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the patient’s own pancreas) and type 2 diabetes (which accounts for 90% of cases and is associated with factors such as family history, poor eating habits, obesity and physical inactivity), the disease is linked to the body’s ability to absorb glucose, an essential source of energy for its cells. Insulin enables sugar to be removed from the bloodstream, and when this process is disrupted, diabetes can develop. In most cases, the disease cannot be cured, although living with it is entirely possible.
Often asymptomatic in its early stages, diabetes may go unnoticed until symptoms such as fatigue, excessive thirst, blurred vision and slow-healing wounds appear. In all cases, both prevention and treatment are based on lifestyle changes, such as adopting a diet low in sugar and rich in natural foods, engaging in regular physical activity and, when recommended, taking medication and receiving regular insulin injections. In addition, it is advisable to have blood glucose levels checked through a blood test at least every six months.
At worlddiabetesday.org, visitors can find detailed information about diabetes, risk assessments, education about the disease and opportunities to participate in awareness activities, as well as share experiences with others living with the condition. They can also register to receive campaign updates and information about new treatments and resources for managing diabetes.
