NOTE TO THE PRESS

Brussels, 9 March 2005

Latest diabetes figures now online

Updated diabetes facts and figures are now available online, the International Diabetes Federation announced today, launching its new version of the e-Atlas at www.eatlas.idf.org.

The e-Atlas is an invaluable online source of information on diabetes, and has been restructured to enable visitors to gain free access to the latest data more quickly. Covering 212 countries and territories, the site now includes prevalence estimates of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) from 2003, forecasts of diabetes and IGT prevalence for 2025, as well as specific data on diabetes in the young.

As it develops, the e-Atlas will soon include updated features and topics such as the prevalence of diabetic complications, costs of diabetes care, access to insulin and diabetes supplies, global educational practices, as well as the explosion in obesity prevalence and the parallel rise in type 2 diabetes. Every month the e-Atlas will feature a hot topic, and as it expands, the site will feature regional and country profiles.

The e-Atlas is aimed at decision makers, journalists, and people involved in research and advocacy. Its objective is to communicate the global impact of diabetes and to underline the need for intervention now.

All online data is now free, visitors just need to register once for access. The data is based on the Diabetes Atlas, second edition, International Diabetes Federation 2003. This version of the IDF e-Atlas has been made possible thanks to the generous support of Merck & Co, Inc, Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

• Anne Pierson, IDF Public Relations Manager (Tel: +32-2-5431623, mobile +32-475-343788, anne.pierson@idf.org).
• Delice Gan, IDF Special Projects Manager (Mobile: +46-73-8002799, delice@idf.org)