The President of the Tonga Diabetic Association says two thirds of adults in Tonga are likely to have diabetes.
Diabetics must monitor their blood sugar levels frequently. Photo: AFP
Taniela Palu said the last survey conducted in 2012 showed that 34 percent of Tongans over the age of 25 had diabetes.
However Dr Palu said since research now shows half of all diabetics are not diagnosed until the latter stages of the disease, the rate in Tonga is likely to be closer to 66 percent.
"So those people will go for a long time without getting treatment and they just develop a complication and they end up in the hospital at the stage where they are very sick, maybe disabled. The first time they are diagnosed and they end up having an amputation."
Dr Palu said while at least one in seven births in Tonga could also be affected by diabetes, no official data has been collected and this is why screening is a focus of next Monday's World Diabetes Day, which carried the theme 'Eyes on Diabetes'.