30,000 suffer from diabetes in Malta

Some 30,000 people in Malta suffer from diabetes and the number is expected to rise sharply in the coming years, the Maltese Diabetes Association said.

It is estimated that by the year 2005, the number of people suffering from the disease worldwide would double, the association said.

The Maltese Diabetes Association is a voluntary non-governmental organisation aiming to educate its members and the public about diabetes and how to prevent complications arising from it.

The association was set up in 1981 and at present has a membership of just over 1,000.

It organises monthly educational talks for adult members, a teenage group and parents of children with diabetes.