On Thalassemia Day, let awareness be the tool to get rid of the disease

• May 08, 2023

Thalassemia is a serious genetic blood disorder. In some cases, the risk of death is also very high. It is of concern that apart from regular blood transfusions and blood stem cell transplants, there are not many successful methods of disease management and treatment for this disorder. World Thalassemia Day is observed on May 8 to raise awareness about the seriousness of this blood disorder and its management and treatment.

In the last few years, due to the efforts of various public and private organizations regarding the complex disease and its treatment, there is an increase in the awareness of various diseases among the general public, yet today people still have more information about thalassemia. World Thalassemia Day is celebrated on May 8 every year to spread awareness about this disease among the common people all over the world. Like last year, this day is being celebrated as 'Be Aware'.

Permanent and fully effective treatment of thalassemia is not possible in most cases. But a blood stem cell transplant can be very beneficial in this disease. In this treatment, blood stem cells donated by a healthy person are transplanted into an affected person whose HLA is completely matched to the patient. But this is not an easy fix. About 25 to 30% of patients requiring a transplant receive such a donor from their own family, but the rest of the victims have to rely on outside donors for transplants.

For this reason, people with thalassemia are asked to undergo necessary medical tests before marriage and before planning children under the advanced prevention policy of treatment. In fact, if one or both parents have thalassemia, the child's chances of developing the disease increase significantly.

Also, prenatal thalassemia screening of the baby is recommended nowadays. So that fetal thalassemia status can be identified and efforts can be made for prenatal diagnosis.

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