Charles Sturt University (CSU) diabetes expert Dr Herbert Jelinek is concerned at the rapid growth of diabetes on the Border and around Australia in recent years. “Diabetes is the fastest growing disease in Australia, a trend reflected in regional areas including Albury-Wodonga,” he said. Dr Jelinek leads a group of CSU researchers investigating low-cost methods of assessing people for diabetes at the early stages of the disease. “We aim to allow diabetes and its complications to be assessed quickly in screening units in regional and rural areas before people face the more debilitating symptoms of the disease, such as high blood pressure and blindness,” Dr Jelinek said. This week is National Diabetes Week which runs until 15 July.