Vital lifeline : Religious scholars urged to create awareness about thalassemia

expert says test is inexpensive, but people avoid it due to social taboos

ISLAMABAD: It is the high time that religious scholars and educationists play their due role in creating awareness about Thalassemia disease among citizens and convince them to donate blood which is the only lifeline and ray of hope for the survival of patients suffering from this disease.

The life of Thalassemia patients depends on blood transfusion which cannot be made in any laboratory but can be acquired from other people, said Dr Atifa who is running an NGO named ‘AAS’ in Rawalpindi for patients suffering from Thalassemia during an interview on Tuesday.



This NGO provides free treatment, medicine and other related facilities to Thalassemia.patients

Dr Atifa was of the view that "Over 60,000 children are suffering from Thalassemia every year and we need to take serious measures to address this issue by educating masses about the causes and prevention of this disease which is the best possible way to avoid it".

She said that it is necessary to educate doctors, paramedical staff,

dais,(midwives) lady health workers and educationists about this disease so that they can guide the citizens.

She said mosque is a very strong and effective platform in our rural areas which should be positively utilised for educating people about this disease.she observed.

Dr Atifa said Thalassemia test is an inexpensive test but people avoid it due to some social taboos and lack of awareness. Even if the test costs something It is not more than the lifetime treatment or pain a person has to go through in case he or she contracts the disease, she added.

She said treatment of this disease is much more expensive than the diagnoses so people must go for tests.



Dr Atifa said blood transfusion is the only treatment for Thalassemia patients but constant blood transfusion cause many other diseases which ultimately leads to death.

While talking about the cause of the disease she told that there are two types of Thalassemia, major and minor. Thalassemia minor develops when one of your parents is carrier of this disease. If this occurs, you probably won't have symptoms, but you'll be a carrier of the disease. Some people with thalassemia minor do develop minor symptoms.



However, she said if both the parents are carriers of Thalassemia, there is a greater chance of inheriting a more serious form of the disease.

She informed that five to seven per cent people in general public have Thalassemia minor which they can avoid by having tests prior to marriage.

Following the societal taboos, people believe that if girls,undergo this test, they may have difficulties in their marriage which is a wrong perception, she stated.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2018.