The association has been carrying out free blood glucose monitoring and today can be found at Baystreet offering free tests to anyone interested. Around 600 people have had their blood sugar levels checked and some people who had no idea they were diabetic found out they had the disease and could move on to controlling it, Mrs Mckeon said.

Tomorrow, medical students from the University of Malta will be walking around the Ghar id-Dud area in Sliema, checking people’s blood pressure. They will also be walking along the front to stress the importance of exercise.

Obesity is one of the principal causes of type two diabetes, said Professor Joseph Azzopardi, who also addressed yesterday’s conference. Awareness of the disease and its prevention must be generated which is why this year the organisation is concentrating on the aspect of obesity, he said.

Type two diabetes is a condition that comes about when the pancreas has been put under a lot of stress. This is why obesity makes a person more susceptible to the disease, said Prof. Azzopardi.

Much to his concern, he said, the number of Maltese children with this type of diabetes is rising at an alarming rate and this is mostly due to their static lifestyle, watching television and playing computer games.

“Children must be encouraged to be more active and schools play a large part in this. More emphasis should be put on physical education lessons to teach the students the importance of exercise,” continued the professor.

Mrs Mckeon explained that the organisation has launched an extensive campaign in an effort to get this message across. Circulars will be sent to secondary schools to generate awareness about how diabetes can be avoided through a change in diet and increased exercise, she said.

Labour MP Michael Farrugia also spoke at yesterday’s conference. He said that awareness should be generated every day of the year and not just on this one day dedicated to the disease.

There must be a change in mentality in order for obesity in children to reduce. He said that Maltese often consider chubby children to be cute and healthy, when actually this is paving the way for an unhealthy and dangerous lifestyle.

Education in schools is very important, but since children do not cook for themselves, an emphasis must be put on educating parents. It must work in tandem with educating children, he said.

Mr Farrugia went on to question the future of diabetics in Malta, wondering whether they will continue to receive the medical support they presently have. He also said that diabetics should be entitled to as many syringes as they need, and not be rationed.

Nationalist MP Michael Asciak refused to be drawn into political discussion, and confirmed that diabetics will always be given the support they deserve. “With a little attention, the incidence of diabetes in Malta can be lowered,” he said.

Regarding support given to patients, Prof. Azzopardi said they should be supplied with strips to test their blood for sugar levels. “If patients are given these strips for free, they can control their disease more effectively,” he said.

There must be an awareness of diabetes, because the symptoms can often be negligible. People over the age of 40 should have their blood sugar levels checked at least once a year, while those with a family history of the disease should undergo checks more often, the professor concluded.