Disease carriers: Doctors want thalassaemia law in motion

KARACHI: Approximately 1,260,000 people are suffering from thalassaemia in Pakistan. Although the law has been passed for thalassaemia screening test before marriage, it has not been implemented.  This was stated by the founder of Afzaal Memorial Thalassaemia Foundation Dr Asim Qidwai during a media briefing on Tuesday. Dr Qidwai said thalassaemia cases are on the rise in the Pakistan and about 80,000 to 100,000 cases are detected every year in the country. Thalassaemia carrier parents increase the risk of sending the disease to their next generations, thus screening for this disease before marriage is vital. He informed that 5,000 babies are born with this deadly disease every year.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2014.