The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched its campaign for World Health Day 2016, on 7 April. The campaign focuses on ways to halt the rise of diabetes worldwide.

The main goals of "Beat Diabetes" campaign are to:

• Increase awareness about the rise in diabetes, and its staggering burden and consequences, in particular in low-and middle-income countries;
• Trigger a set of specific, effective and affordable actions to tackle diabetes. These will include steps to prevent diabetes and diagnose, treat and care for people with diabetes; and
• Launch the first Global report on diabetes, which will describe the burden and consequences of diabetes and advocate for stronger health systems to ensure improved surveillance, enhanced prevention, and more effective management of diabetes.

According to WHO, about 350 million people worldwide have diabetes, a number likely to more than double in the next 20 years.