If you drove to work (before sunrise) today, you may have thought that the monuments around the city were lighted in blue to support the Colts. But they aren’t. Today marks WDD in a very special way. Buildings across the world are being lighted to show awareness in the face of this pandemic.

Click here to see an interactive map of those monuments that will be lighted.

Diabetes isn’t a sensational disease like avian flu or mad cow disease. But these diseases have affected far fewer people; today, over 246 million people have diabetes. This year’s WDD focuses on the effects on children:

Diabetes has a unique impact on children and their families. The daily life of children is disrupted by the need to monitor blood glucose levels, take medication, and balance the effect of activity and food. Diabetes can interfere with the normal developmental tasks of childhood and adolescence, which include succeeding in school and transitioning to adulthood. To help the child and family cope, and to ensure the best possible physical and emotional health of the child, care should be delivered by a multidisciplinary team with good knowledge of paediatric issues. Support must also be given to caregivers and to school personnel. In this way, children with type 1 or type 2 diabetes can reach adulthood with as little adverse impact as possible on their well-being. For children with diabetes in developing countries the situation at present is bleak.

There are lifesaving medicines to control the disease, but there is no cure. For type 2 diabetes, the type with the largest growth rate, people can make changes to help decrease the risk. If you consume too many calories, eat less. Walk more. Dedicate the first 246 steps of every day to the millions who are affected.

Do something!