The Medical Women’s International Association has urged pregnant women in the country to go for regular screening for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, GDM, while doing their antenatal.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the the association gave the advice on Thursday, in Abuja at the ongoing MWIA conference titled, ‘Accelerating Universal Health Coverage.’
Coordinator, Rivers State GDM Research Group, Prof. Rosemary Ogu, said that the screening is necessary so as to prevent genetic transmission of the noncommunicable disease to an unborn baby.
Ogu, who is also a member of the World Diabetes Foundation, noted that screening for diabetes is paramount when a woman is pregnant.
”It is important to eradicate the effect of the disease on the general population,” she said.
“Gestational Diabetes Mellitus study group is a research outfit in Rivers State where we are concerned about the effect of diabetes in pregnancy, also known as GDM.
“We need to educate people because of the effects of diabetes on the general population, how it affects pregnant women and the unborn baby. There is need to screen pregnant women, to find out those who are at risk of the disease, those who may have diabetes in future and those whose babies may die because of diabetes, so that we can prevent it.
“This disease is preventable through lifestyle modification, physical activities, and supervised medication as necessary,” she said.
She said that the Rivers State GDM study group of the MWIA was able to carry out this project over a three-year period in 42 communities to find out the effect of the disease.
Ogu further said that the aim of the research was to prevent the adverse effects associated with diabetes during pregnancy.
(NAN)
