KARACHI: The University of Karachi on Wednesday organised a walk to make its students aware of the fast spreading diabetes in the country.

The walk was organised from the department of pharmacy to the Admin Block. KU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi led the event which was held in collaboration with a project of PharmEvo.

Carrying placards and banners, the participants also attended a seminar later held at the Arts Auditorium.

`Pakistan is the third country around theglobe in terms of the number of people having diabetes while ranks the first in the prevalence of diabetes,` said Dr Iraqi while addressing the seminar. `In Pakistan, the number of people suffering from Type-1 diabetes is very less, but unfortunately, there are a large number of Type-2 diabetes patientsinthe countryanditisbeingspread rapidly, which is a matter of concern.

Universities, he believed, were the best source of creating awareness among the youngsters as students enrolled in the campus came from every part of the country to complete their higher studies.

Dr Zahid Mian, a renowned diabetologist, said that one of the main causes of diabetesin society was obesity. He said that currently, the number of diabetic patients in Pakistan was 33 million while fears were high that the actual number of the patients had increased during the past couple of years.

Syed Jamshed Ahmed of PharmEvo said that a large number of young people were diagnosed with diabetes, which was a very alarming situation. Around 27 per cent of people, he said, were not aware that they were suffering from diabetes.

`Considering the current economic situation of Pakistan, it is clear that the country cannot bear the burden of such a large number of patients,` he added.