World Diabetes Day: Free screening for pupils at Collège Protestant de Lomé-Tokoin

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Extract from the article: Every 14 November 2023, the whole world celebrates World Diabetes Day. In Togo, to mark the occasion, Santé-Éducation, in collaboration with the Evangelical and Presbyterian Church of Togo (EEPT), carried out free diabetes screening for pupils at...

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Every 14 November 2023, the whole world celebrates World Diabetes Day.  In Togo, to mark the occasion, Santé-Éducation, in collaboration with the Evangelical and Presbyterian Church of Togo (EEPT), carried out free diabetes screening for pupils at the Protestant College in Lomé-Tokoin. The screening followed an awareness-raising campaign on the disease held at the same school last week.

Around 500 pupils (boys and girls) and teachers were screened on the day, which was dedicated to celebrating the fight against diabetes.  Diabetes, a chronic disease on the rise, affects millions of people worldwide. Diabetes does not only affect adults. Prevention and early detection are key to reducing its impact. This day is an opportunity to move from awareness-raising to concrete action.

Health professionals set up screening stations to assess the risk of diabetes among members of the school community and among the vendors based in the school. The aim was to demystify the fear associated with screening tests, promote open discussion about diabetes prevention and, above all, encourage pupils to take control of their health by adopting healthy lifestyle habits.

"We want to move from passive, general knowledge to proactive, individualised action. The idea is not to scare children, but to give them the knowledge they need to take charge of their own health", explained Basile Mignake, Director General of Santé-Éducation.

The aim is to give pupils a hands-on experience of diabetes screening. There is no cause for alarm. "The results are good overall. It's also true that some pupils ate before being screened, which distorts the results. Otherwise, overall, there is nothing serious to report", reassured Anani Messah Azanlé, Senior Health Technician.

On this World Diabetes Day, the initiative taken by Santé-Education with the support of the EEPT shows that concerted action can make a real difference in the fight against this growing disease.

Raymond DZAKPATA