LETTER TO THE EDITOR – National Diabetes Week

Dear Editor,

This week is National Diabetes Week.

Type 1 diabetes is a life-long auto-immune disease that usually occurs in childhood but can be diagnosed at any age.

It is one of the most common chronic diseases in children and most newly diagnosed cases are in people less than 15 years old. At present, there is no cure for type 1 diabetes and no proven approach to prevent the disease occurring.

Last year our Government announced $54.5 million for research $25 million for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to advance its Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network.

Earlier this year, the Federal Government expanded the Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Initiative to provide fully subsidised CGM products, like the FreeStyle Libre, to a wider range of Australians with type 1 diabetes. I’m advocating for this to be expanded even further so every Australian with type 1 diabetes can have access to the CGM scheme.

This year, the focus of National Diabetes Week 2020 is on the mental and emotional health issues faced by people with diabetes.

The daily burden of living with diabetes can be significant. Diabetes distress, anxiety and burnout are very real complications of diabetes.

The new ‘Heads Up on Diabetes campaign’ will raise awareness of this burden and the support available.

This National Diabetes Week, let’s have a conversation about the real impact diabetes can have on a person’s mental and emotional wellbeing.

For more information about the Heads Up on Diabetes campaign, please visit www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/national-diabetes-week.

Media Contact: Charlotte Edmunds 8531 2466