[Fight for the development of pediatric diabetology in Belgium]

In Belgium, the first educative vacation camp for diabetic children was organized in 1969 by Helmut Loeb, using as a model the French camps of Henri Lestradet which existed since 1953. Diabetic children were trained in self-monitoring and self-treatment, with a normal diet. From that moment specialized pediatricians having acquired their experience in the vacation camps, surrounded by a multidisciplinary team, began to manage diabetic children instead of internists. However this fight was difficult and, in 1977, an organization especially devoted to diabetic children was created. Finally, in 1997, the Social Security recognized the specificity of pediatric centers for diabetic children and adolescents.