Curbing thalassaemia: Call for blood screening before marriage
Speakers claim lack of awareness main cause of disease’s prevalence.
SWAT:
Although thalassaemia is spreading fast throughout the world, its rate of prevalence in Pakistan is much higher. There are over 60,000 children suffering from the disease, primarily caused due to lack of awareness.
This was the crux of a seminar held by Wajiha Centre of Thalassaemia (WCT) at Saidu Sharif Hospital on Saturday.
Dr Samina Tufail, a thalassaemia specialist explained that the disease is passed on from parents to children through their genes, adding that blood screening of the potential couple before marriage can drastically reduce the prevalence of the deadly disease.
“Unfortunately, the concept of blood tests is non-existent in our society, which may later prove to be fatal,” she said.
According to WCT Chief Executive Qadar Nawaz, the prevalence of thalassaemia in Malakand division is much higher than other parts of the country, with nearly 7,000 patients out of whom 4,000 belong to Swat.
Nawaz said the centre is currently transfusing blood to eight patients in two shifts every day. “We are working constantly to create more resources to increase our efficiency. Our aim is to eradicate the disease completely by 2020.”
Zaibullah, who lost a son to thalassaemia and has a daughter inflicted with the disease, said he still remembers his son’s pain. “I searched for blood all night but could not find it. When I returned to the hospital, he had died.”
Provincial Minister for Forests Wajid Ali Khan said that the government has issued orders to carry out blood screening before marriage.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 7th, 2012.
Although thalassaemia is spreading fast throughout the world, its rate of prevalence in Pakistan is much higher. There are over 60,000 children suffering from the disease, primarily caused due to lack of awareness.
This was the crux of a seminar held by Wajiha Centre of Thalassaemia (WCT) at Saidu Sharif Hospital on Saturday.
Dr Samina Tufail, a thalassaemia specialist explained that the disease is passed on from parents to children through their genes, adding that blood screening of the potential couple before marriage can drastically reduce the prevalence of the deadly disease.
“Unfortunately, the concept of blood tests is non-existent in our society, which may later prove to be fatal,” she said.
According to WCT Chief Executive Qadar Nawaz, the prevalence of thalassaemia in Malakand division is much higher than other parts of the country, with nearly 7,000 patients out of whom 4,000 belong to Swat.
Nawaz said the centre is currently transfusing blood to eight patients in two shifts every day. “We are working constantly to create more resources to increase our efficiency. Our aim is to eradicate the disease completely by 2020.”
Zaibullah, who lost a son to thalassaemia and has a daughter inflicted with the disease, said he still remembers his son’s pain. “I searched for blood all night but could not find it. When I returned to the hospital, he had died.”
Provincial Minister for Forests Wajid Ali Khan said that the government has issued orders to carry out blood screening before marriage.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 7th, 2012.