Health Experts urge journalists to intensify diabetes, hypertension awareness

Gweru — Health experts have urged journalists to intensify public awareness of diabetes and hypertension, warning that late diagnosis or poor management of the two non-communicable diseases can lead to severe and costly medical complications.

The call was made during a virtual Merck Foundation Health Media Training, which brought together journalists and health experts from across the world to strengthen responsible, evidence-based reporting on critical health and social issues.

The training focused on equipping journalists with knowledge and best media practices to cover issues including infertility stigma, diabetes, hypertension, gender-based violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation, women’s empowerment and girls’ education.

The programme emphasised the influential role of the media in creating cultural shifts, breaking the silence around sensitive issues, challenging stigma and giving a voice to vulnerable and marginalised communities.

Organisers highlighted the influential role of the media in breaking the silence around sensitive issues, shifting cultural paradigms, challenging stigma and empowering communities to seek early medical intervention.

Experts in fertility, psychiatry, diabetes and hypertension addressed the virtual gathering, providing journalists with an opportunity to engage specialists directly, exchange experiences with media practitioners from different countries and strengthen networks for health awareness campaigns.

Dr Moses Chirwa from Zambia said type 2 diabetes was closely linked to lifestyle factors, including physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, overweight and obesity, smoking and inappropriate alcohol consumption, although genetic and family-history factors could also increase vulnerability.

He warned that diabetes can have devastating consequences if it goes unnoticed and untreated.

“Why is it important for us to know about diabetes? Because the main reason is that if unnoticed, undiagnosed, and not treated, diabetes can lead to complications,” Dr Chirwa said.

He said complications could include stroke, blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, sexual dysfunction and amputations, with the consequences extending beyond physical health to mental wellbeing, household finances and quality of life.

Dr Chirwa urged journalists to make prevention a central part of their health reporting, particularly by communicating nutrition and lifestyle advice in ways that reflect the food choices and cultural practices of local communities.

He said prevention could help reduce the suffering and financial burden associated with chronic diseases.

“Prevention is better than to remediate or to cure,” he said, urging communities to maintain healthy weight, increase physical activity, adopt healthier diets and avoid tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption.

On hypertension, Dr Chirwa described high blood pressure as a “silent killer”, noting that many people may have the condition without experiencing obvious symptoms.

He stressed that hypertension could only be properly identified through blood-pressure measurement and encouraged people to undergo regular checks.

Dr Prince Mangwiro of Zimbabwe said hypertension was a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease but emphasised that communities could reduce their risk by addressing modifiable factors such as unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco use, alcohol consumption and obesity.

“We always can do something to change if we are prone to develop high blood pressure, or we are diagnosed with high blood pressure,” Mangwiro said.

He also highlighted the importance of reducing salt consumption, particularly among populations considered vulnerable to hypertension.

According to the expert, people should aim to consume less than five grammes of salt a day, while remembering that much of the salt consumed comes from processed foods rather than salt added during cooking.

Mangwiro said uncontrolled hypertension could damage vital organs, potentially resulting in stroke, heart attacks and kidney failure.

He urged people diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes to follow medical advice, take prescribed medication and make appropriate lifestyle changes.

While some patients may improve significantly after modifying risk factors, he cautioned that advanced disease may require lifelong treatment.

The experts also stressed the importance of early detection, saying regular health checks could allow people to identify diabetes and hypertension before serious complications develop.

The training placed particular emphasis on the role of the media in reaching communities that may not regularly visit health facilities.

Dr Chirwa said journalists could simplify complex medical information, use locally accessible languages and work with health professionals to ensure communities receive accurate, science-based information.

“The media has a responsibility to report accurate health and science information,” he said, urging journalists to consult qualified health professionals and credible scientific sources.

He warned against relying on misleading or unverified information circulating online, saying inaccurate health messages could have serious consequences for communities.

The training also examined the relationship between chronic diseases and infertility.

Responding to a question on whether diabetes could contribute to male infertility, Dr Mangwiro said there was a relationship, particularly where diabetes was associated with obesity.

He explained that obesity could contribute to hormonal disturbances, including low testosterone levels, which may affect sperm quality and consequently male fertility.

The experts said journalists therefore have an important role not only in reporting disease statistics, but also in challenging stigma, correcting misinformation and encouraging people to seek medical assistance early.

The virtual training provided a platform for journalists and health professionals from different parts of the world to share experiences and discuss ways of using media platforms to improve public understanding of health conditions.

The programme called on journalists to use news reports, features, blogs, television, radio and other media platforms to promote informed health choices and give communities access to reliable information, while maintaining international standards of reporting and media ethics.