Donna Meads-Barlow of the Danii Meads Barlow Foundation- an amazing advocate for this cause who has been working tirelessly long before I was even aware of the issue- has provided some statistics that graphically support the necessity of affordable CGM coverage in Australia. PLEASE KEEP SHARING!! :) :) :) • Nearly 1.5 million people in Australia suffer from diabetes. Around 155,000 of these have type 1 diabetes. • One of the most common chronic diseases in children, it occurs more frequently than cancer, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy. • Most newly diagnosed cases are in people less than 15 years old. • In 2004 there were 1856 Australians diagnosed with type 1 diabetes & Incidence is increasing at 5.2% a year. • The incidence of type 1 diabetes has almost doubled in Australia over the past five years. We now have one of the highest rates in the world. • In Australia, around 95% of the diabetes found in children is type 1. • In Australia, it is expected that the incidents of Diabetes will continue to rise to at least 3.5 million by 2033 Additional global statistics: • Diabetes currently affects 252 million people worldwide and is expected to affect 380 million by 2025. • The incidence rate of type 1 diabetes is rising by three to five per cent-the greatest rise occurs in five to nine year olds. • Worldwide 92,000 children develop type 1 diabetes annually (almost 225 children a day). • Globally, every ten seconds two people develop diabetes. • Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of global death by disease. • Globally, every ten seconds a person dies from diabetes-related causes. • According to the International Diabetes Federation, each year 3.8 million deaths are attributable to diabetes. An even greater number die from cardiovascular disease made worse by diabetes-related lipid disorders and hypertension. PLEASE KEEP SHARING!! :) :) :)