25 November 2012| last updated at 11:47PM
KOTA KINABALU: Prevalence of diabetes in Sabah has increased from 4.9 per cent in 2006 to nine per cent last year, according to two National Health Morbidity Surveys.
State health department director Dr Christina Rundi said the awareness of diabetes among the people of Sabah was still low.
"Those who know about this non-communicable disease are usually diabetic patients. However, most are not sure how to manage and deal with the complications," she said at the state-level World Diabetes Day yesterday.
Diabetes Education and Prevention is the World Diabetes Day theme for a five-year period from 2009.
Dr Rundi said that it had taken a long time for the Health Ministry to educate the public on preventing the non-communicable disease from worsening.
"It is difficult to cure complications developed from the disease and it will definitely affect patients' quality of life."
Kota Kinabalu City Hall Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir who officiated the function said other non-communicable illnesses, such as hypertension and obesity, were also on the rise in the state.
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