15 November 2007
Windhoek — Today the United Nations will for the first time mark World Diabetes Day and the disease is spreading, also among tribal people.
A new report from the non-governmental organisation Survival International (SI) has highlighted the catastrophic impact of diabetes on tribal people who have been removed from their land. The problem is so serious that Professor Paul Zimmet of the International Diabetes Institute has said: "Without urgent action there certainly is a real risk of a major wipe-out due to diabetes of indigenous communities, if not total extinction, within this century."
Survival International is based in London and supports the rights of indigenous people. The new report on indigenous people's health, 'Progress can kill', details the horrific rise in diabetes amongst tribal people who have been forced off their land and into a sedentary lifestyle. Over half of the Pima Indians in Arizona, USA, above the age of 35 have the disease. In Australia, Aborigines are 22 times more likely to die from diabetes than other Australians.
When tribal peoples are separated from their land, the resulting change of diet often leads to diabetes, according to the report. The disease can lead to blindness, kidney failure, strokes, heart disease and amputations. Survival's director Stephen Corry said, "Diabetes is a stark example of how forcing Western ideas of 'develoapment' on tribal people leads to the breakdown of their health.
Diabetes amongst tribal people living on their own land is extremely rare, but for those forced off their land in the name of 'progress', it is one of the biggest threats to their survival.
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