SUVA, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Diabetes is no longer just an elderly disease but one affecting young people and working-age Fijians, said Fiji's Assistant Minister for Health and Medical Services Penioni Ravunawa on Monday.
The latest data revealed that 16.6 percent of the 588,000 adult population aged 20 to 79 are currently living with diabetes in Fiji, with many more still undiagnosed, placing the country among the worst-hit in the world.
Ravunawa said the disease was cutting lives short and pushing households into poverty, threatening families and the workforce in the island country, according to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation.
The official said wellness must go beyond hospitals into schools, workplaces, and places of worship.
Every rising case is not just a number, he warned, but a family impacted and a future lost.
Ravunawa called for a united effort to reverse the rise of diabetes and embed wellness into Fiji's culture. ■
