Rotterdams Dagblad
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS, July 29, 2003: A hundred Hindu volunteers were tested for diabetes during the annual Milan celebration in the Hague. Approximately ten percent were found to have mild diabetes reported Karen Bree, project leader of the GGD (Public Health Service), Sunday. The GGD and the Dutch Diabetes Association had chosen the Milan Festival as the starting point of an information offensive about diabetes among the Hindu population of the Netherlands. In comparison with other communities, Hindus in the Netherlands have an increased risk of diabetes as a result of improper diet. The Hague has the largest Hindu community in the Netherlands. Of the 40,000 Hindu inhabitants of the Hague, an astounding forty percent get diabetes. The outcome of the tests during this year’s event is not alarming according to Karen Bree. “We had expected this,” said Bree. “It is especially our intention to make the people conscious that they are walking around with diabetes and the risks involved. And we can refer them to a general practitioner in the early stage. The sooner you know about it the better.” Since 1985, the Milan festival has been celebrated every year to promote the integration of Hindus in the Netherlands. At least ten thousand visitors annually attend “Milan.” It is the largest Hindu festival in Europe according to the organizers.