New Delhi, Nov. 14 -- The World Health Organization's South-East Asia Region, on the occasion of World Diabetes Day on Friday, issued a renewed call for urgent and coordinated action to tackle the rising burden of diabetes, which now affects more than 279 million adults in the region--nearly one-third of the global total.

Dr. Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge for WHO South-East Asia, said that diabetes continues to pose a serious challenge due to widespread late diagnosis, insufficient treatment, and poor control of blood glucose levels. She highlighted that only one in three adults with diabetes across the region receives treatment, and fewer than 15 per cent manage to keep their blood glucose adequately controlled.

This year's theme...