Did you know? Not only in the developing world are countries
facing increasing incidence and prevalence of diabetes and other
chronic non-communicable diseases as a contributor to poor
health and increased healthcare spending. The Caribbean nations
face similar burdens; but they have considerably fewer resources
with which to respond. The Caribbean is the region of the
Americas worst affected by the epidemic of chronic disease, and
one of the world’s diabetes hotspots. In the Caribbean, chronic
diseases, including diabetes, are now the leading cause of
premature death, accounting for approximately half of all deaths
in people under 70 and two-thirds of overall mortality. (1): CIA
factbook (2): WHO 2008 (3): IDF Diabetes Atlas, 5th edition
annual update, 2012