1 day to go to World Diabetes Day

1. Tomorrow – the first day of our future

As the world gets ready tomorrow to mark another World Diabetes Day, we would like to share with you a message from the President of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Professor Jean Claude Mbanya:

"People from all corners of the world will literally bring diabetes to light on 14 November. No matter where you are, it is your efforts that make World Diabetes Day a truly global success.

Tomorrow will be the first day of a future:

• In which we will be able to say ‘we acted to stop a global catastrophe in diabetes’.
• With a coordinated global response to diabetes
• Where there will be worldwide access to affordable quality diabetes medicines, technologies and care.
• Which will stop a disease that has been largely preventable and treatable for 90 years.
• In which type 1 diabetes is no longer a death sentence for children in many parts of the world, despite the existence of life-saving insulin.
• Where governments, business, foundations, international organisations, researchers and the scientific community invest significantly in research into the causes, cure and better management of diabetes.
• When the world was forced to face the fact (or the world was forced to acknowledge) that every 8 seconds someone somewhere in the world dies from diabetes – and do something about it.
• Where people with diabetes will be able to exercise their rights to life and health.

But tomorrow will not be a turning point for diabetes without your support. We need to unite, act, and bring diabetes to light. We need to stand together behind IDF’s A Call to Action on Diabetes on World Diabetes Day. Then we can be sure that tomorrow will be the first day of a future for people with diabetes worldwide.

We are united for diabetes. We are all in this together."

2. Share your World Diabetes Day experience

Whatever you’re doing this World Diabetes Day, make sure to share it with the global community:

• We want your pictures! The World Diabetes Day website will showcase all WDD images from around the world as they come in. Post them in our virtual museum – http://bit.ly/9kCKEG – or add them to the public pool ‘World Diabetes Day’ on Flickr – www.flickr.com. Before you submit the image, please give it a name that will help us identify what it is and where it was taken.
• Share your comments and thoughts on Twitter (use the hash tag #wdd)– http://bit.ly/bd1CIa – and Facebook – http://bit.ly/9HvysW – as World Diabetes Day unfolds.
• Share your videos on the World Diabetes Day YouTube Channel – http://bit.ly/9kDgc6.

WDD picture of the day: Welsh rugby team shows its support for WDD – http://bit.ly/bvf41c.

WDD video of the day: ‘A Better Way’, produced by the Chinese Taipei Diabetes Association – .

3. How you can mark the day

If you’re still unsure of how to make your contribution to the global efforts to put diabetes in the spotlight tomorrow, here are some suggestions on how you can join the campaign:

• Take part in a local awareness event: visit our online events calendar – http://bit.ly/auRnje – to see if there’s something taking place in your area. If you don’t find anything, contact your local diabetes association – see our list at http://bit.ly/3XSVpD – and ask if they have anything planned. Still nothing? You can always do something with friends, family or even on your own.
• Form a human blue circle: raise awareness of the global symbol of diabetes by forming a human blue circle with your friends, family or colleagues. Take a picture, send it to us, and we’ll do the rest.
• Dress in blue: spread awareness on Sunday the 14th by dressing in blue and explain the colour’s link with diabetes to others.
• Promote the Blue Circle Test: include or link to the Blue Circle Test – http://bit.ly/acIkx9 – on your website or blog to inform people about the risk factors for type 2 diabetes and the positive actions that they can take to reduce their risk.
• Promote World Diabetes Day on your website or blog: promote World Diabetes Day on your website or blog with one of campaign banners – http://bit.ly/a7AzsB. – or simply display the campaign logo, available in over 70 languages – http://bit.ly/903PkR.
• Add a blue circle twibbon to your Facebook or Twitter profile: show your support for diabetes by adding a blue circle twibbon to your Facebook or Twitter profile image. Go to http://twibbon.com/join/Diabetes-3 and follow the simple instructions.
• Display our campaign posters: five versions are available in the following languages: Bangla, Bulgarian, French, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, German, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian, Slovakian and Spanish – http://bit.ly/dlR1PY. Thank you to everyone who made these translations possible.

4. Blue Monument Challenge update

Over the last few days we’ve continued to receive blue lighting confirmations from all over the world. Recent additions include Table Mountain in South Africa and the Brandenburg Gate in Germany. The current total stands at over 640 lightings in more than 60 countries. Here are the top 10 countries that are going blue for diabetes:

• Brazil
• Argentina
• Canada
• India
• USA
• Norway
• United Kingdom
• Spain
• Italy
• Portugal

It’s not too late to add your monument to our list. Send it to wdd@idf.org.

5. Thank you to the Official World Diabetes Day Partners

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Official World Diabetes Day Partners for the valuable support they give to many of the activities taking place around the world. Official partners help World Diabetes Day reach its goals. The Official World Diabetes Day 2010 Partners are:

  Abbott Diabetes Care
  AstraZeneca
  Becton Dickinson
  Boehringer Ingleheim
  Boston Scientific
  Bristol Myers-Squibb
  LifeScan
  Lilly
  Medtronic
  Merck Sharp & Dohme
  Novartis
  Novo Nordisk
  Pfizer
  Roche
  Sanofi Aventis
  Takeda

The next update will be sent to you within two weeks. We’ll be sharing some results and looking for your feedback and suggestions for next year’s campaign. In the meantime, we would like to thank you for helping to make World Diabetes Day 2010 a global success.

Kind regards

Lorenzo Piemonte on behalf of the World Diabetes Day team.