Days Until World Diabetes Day
Days until World Diabetes Day
About World Diabetes Day
November 14 marks the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, born in 1891, who co-discovered insulin in 1921 alongside Charles Best — a discovery that transformed diabetes from a near-universally fatal diagnosis into a manageable chronic condition.
The International Diabetes Federation and World Health Organization established the day in 1991, and the UN formally designated it an official UN Day in 2006, marking it as one of the relatively few disease-specific observances with that level of UN recognition.
Diabetes affects several hundred million people worldwide according to International Diabetes Federation estimates, a burden the observance frames directly against the transformative impact of Banting and Best's original insulin discovery.
Banting reportedly sold his patent rights to insulin for a token sum, believing the discovery should be as widely and affordably accessible as possible rather than a source of personal profit.
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