Thousands of visitors celebrate World Diabetes Day with a carnival celebration at Dubai's Ibn Battuta Mall

Notes and media contacts

Press Contact:
Emma Scanlan - d'Events PR
Tel: +9714 331 1104
Fax: +9714 331 6612

About Ibn Battuta Mall
Ibn Battuta Mall is located adjacent to Sheikh Zayed Road between Interchanges 5 and 6. The Mall combines retail, entertainment, restaurant and family activities all within a uniquely themed environment. The inspiration for the theme of Ibn Battuta Mall is the travels of the legendary Arab explorer Ibn Battuta. The unique design of the shopping mall and separately themed courts are based on his travels through Asia and the Middle East.
Each of the six courts is themed on a country and a shopping zone to reflect Ibn Battuta's travels through Andalusia, Tunisia, Egypt, Persia, India and China. The spacious Mall, covering an area of 1.2 million square feet, offers a charming mix of shopping outlets, specialty shops, restaurants, a hypermarket and a cinema Megaplex featuring the UAE's first IMAX theatre. Parking space has been allocated for more than 5,000 cars, taking the total site space up to 5.4 million square feet.
For more information please visit: www.ibnbattutamall.com

About World Diabetes Day
On December 20 2006, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed a landmark resolution recognizing diabetes as a chronic, debilitating and costly disease. The Resolution designates World Diabetes Day as a United Nations Day to be observed every year starting in 2007.

The UN Resolution makes World Diabetes Day stronger than ever and provides the opportunity for a significant increase in the visibility of the campaign and an increase in government and media participation on or around November 14. The Resolution will ensure even greater reach for awareness-raising activities throughout the diabetes world.

The theme of this year's World Diabetes Day campaign is Diabetes in Children and Adolescents. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. It can strike children at any age, including pre-school children and even toddlers. Yet diabetes in children is often diagnosed late, when the child has diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), or it is misdiagnosed completely. In many parts of the world, insulin, the main life-saving medication that children with diabetes need to survive, is not available (or is available but remains inaccessible for reasons of economy, geography or constraints on supply). As a consequence, many children die of diabetes, particularly in low and middle-income countries. Those closest to the child - family, school staff, family doctor - may not be aware of the ominous signs. The World Diabetes Day 2007 and 2008 campaigns set out to challenge this and firmly establish the message that 'no child should die of diabetes'.

For more information please visit www.idf.org

About Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise play large roles.
Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes.
Some diabetes symptoms include frequent urination, excessive thirst, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, increased fatigue, irritability and blurry vision.

For more information, please visit www.idf.org