Diabetes: a critical issue in resource-limited countries
In many resource-limited countries, diabetes constitutes a life-threatening danger.
In these contexts, the life expectancy of a 10-year-old child with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is on average 13 years, compared to 65 years in high-income countries. Among the main causes of this disparity are the high cost of insulin and blood glucose monitoring devices, as well as the lack of specialized clinicians to manage this complex disease.
In South Sudan, in Aweil, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) follows a cohort of 185 children with T1D, whose daily care is complicated by obstacles related to access to treatments and the limited availability of equipment and laboratory tests in the event of complications.
The MSF Foundation, in collaboration with Dan Leach, a British pediatrician, is currently developing a calculation tool for managing acute complications of diabetes. Already used in the United Kingdom, this tool is being adapted by the MSF Foundation to better address the challenges of humanitarian contexts. At Aweil Hospital, this innovation could support medical teams and facilitate clinical decision-making for children with type 1 diabetes admitted to intensive care.
