In Photo: Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever with members of the Diabetes Foundation St. Maarten
The Diabetes Foundation St. Maarten on Monday morning presented Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever with the results of testing during their 15th annual fair held here on June 29, 2013.
According to the report a total of 391 persons were tested, of which 76 were male with 19 known diabetics and 315 females with 137 known diabetics. The report includes results for three main groups, namely: group with already known diabetics; group non-diabetics and "risk" group non-diabetics.
Minister De Weever stated that the work the foundation is doing continues to improve over the years, as more persons are being reached, especially with emphasis being placed on the Spanish speaking community, with plans to later on reach the Haitian community.
"Prevention is still the key as it keeps medical costs down, and it is important for people to "Get Checked", and know their glucose results," said Minister De Weever.
The report further showed that the glucose testing results of non-diabetics showed that 17% of this group was not aware they were possible diabetics, which means that probably 8510 persons of the estimated population of St. Maarten suffer from this disease and don’t even know it.