Thalassemia Screening and Counselling Centre launched
Part of: GS-Prelims and GS-II – Health
In News:
Thalassemia Screening and Counselling Centre at Indian Red Cross Society’s National Headquarters (IRCS NHQ) Blood Bank, New Delhi was recently inaugurated.
Ministry: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
Important value additions
Thalassemia
It is a type of Haemoglobinopathies. Sickle cell disease is another example.
It is an inherited disorders of red blood cells and
It is preventable.
In India, Thalassemia Major (TM) and the severe form of Thalassemia Intermedia (TI) constitute the major burden of disease.
It is caused by inheritance of abnormal (beta) Thalassemia genes from both parents or abnormal beta-Thalassemia gene from one parent and abnormal variant haemoglobin gene (HbE, HbD) from the other parent.
India has the largest number of children with Thalassemia major in the world.
The only cure: Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT).
It is difficult and not affordable by the parents of all these children.
Alternative treatment: Repeated blood transfusions, followed by regular iron chelation therapy to remove the excessive iron overload.
