‘8,000 babies born with thalassemia annually in Pakistan’

Prevention only way to deal with this disease, says expert

KARACHI: If you are thalassemia minor, make sure your partner is not. When both parents have thalassemia minor, it can result in their children having thalassemia major.

This message was given to citizens during the International Thalassemia Day, celebrated today across the globe, at a seminar at Beach Luxury Hotel on Saturday. The event was organised by Fatimid Foundation to raise awareness regarding the blood disease, which continues to haunt a considerable portion of Pakistani children.

“[Around] 8,000 babies are born every year with thalassemia major in Pakistan,” said Fatimid Foundation medical director, Dr Ziaur Rahman while addressing the event.



“Hundred per cent prevention is quite possible. For this, screening the blood of both partners should be ensured so that two thalassemia minors should not get married,” he stressed.



Reiterating Rehman’s point of view, Fatimid Foundation chairperson Lt Gen (retd) Moinuddin Haider also emphasised that men, in particular, should get their blood screened before getting married.

Although legislation for this has been passed in assemblies, but like other laws, it still lacks implementation, he pointed out. We aim to also make this a clause in the nikkahnama as prevention is the only way to deal with the disease, he claimed.

As compared to before, many people now have awareness regarding this disease, said Haider.

He also announced that Fatimid Foundation will try to accommodate patients who cannot afford medicines for treatment as well as those who can only make partial payments.



Dr A Gaffar Billoo from Aga Khan University Hospital said if quality treatment is to be given to a patient, the cost can go up to Rs0.1 million.

He informed that the disease was earlier known as ‘Mediterranean Anaemia’ as cases mostly surfaced from Italy and Spain.

“Both Spain and Italy are free of thalassemia today and so is our neighbouring country, Iran,” he said, adding that, “Our biggest struggle is to make Pakistan free from Thalassemia.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2016.