According to the information contained in the National Diabetes Observatory’s report and recently published in the press, the number of children and young people with diabetes in Portugal is on the rise, having doubled in the last 10 years. In all, around 5 000 people died of this disease in Portugal in 2010 alone, which is the equivalent of an average of 13 Portuguese citizens a day.

The incidence of type 1 diabetes in children and young people is increasing significantly; in 2010, more than 2 800 cases were recorded in young people up to the age of 19, and 18 new cases per 100 000 young people of up to 14 years of age were detected in the same year.

Type 2 diabetes is also on the increase, with greater incidence in the population between the ages of 20 and 39, with excessive consumption of food rich in fat and sugar and a sedentary lifestyle making a decisive contribution to this trend.

It was also found in 2010 that there is a major incidence of diabetes both in men and in people who are illiterate, standing at around 30 % among the illiterate population compared with 6.5 % of the population that completed higher education.

The consumption of diabetes medication is also increasing, with the direct cost in 2010 estimated as between EUR 1 150 and EUR 1 350 million, which represents 1 % of GDP and 11 % of the health budget.

Without prejudice to the powers of the Member States in health matters, can the Commission provide the following information: