ISLAMABAD:Executive Director of Thalassemia Foundation of Pakistan and Director General Punjab Thalassemia Prevention Program, Dr. Hussain Jaffri Sunday emphasized promoting awareness about the prevention measures of thalassemia disease which is affecting 60,000 to 100,000 people at this time.
Talking to reporter, Dr. Jaffri said that thalassemia is a genetic disease that is transmitted from parents to the next generation.
He pointed out that there is a 25 percent chance in every pregnancy to have a major thalassemia patient, in the case of a marriage between two carriers.
He said that the carrier rate of thalassemia is around six percent according to which about 15 million people out of 220 million of the total population of the country are the carriers of thalassemia.
He said that most of the carriers are unaware of their disease because of poor diagnostic investigation. To prevent the disease, we need to create awareness about its prevention and encourage to have proper diagnostics specially before marriage.
He told that in this disease, the body of the patients can’t produce red blood cells due to which they need regular blood transfusions on regular basis.
The patient needs a blood transfusion every month in the beginning but the frequency of blood transfusion increases with growing age and the patient needs more blood to survive.
He said that to save the lives of the patients these patients need a regular blood transfusion and iron chelation after consultation with a qualified hematologist along with regular diagnostic investigations on a monthly basis which is unaffordable for poor families in Pakistan.
Talking about the issues related to blood availability, he said that the frequency of blood donation is very low in our country and many people feel reluctant to donate blood due to many myths.
He said that blood availability is necessary to save the lives of these patients and we need to promote the blood donation trend to save the lives of the patients.
He said that it is only a myth that blood donation has a negative impact on the human body rather it has very positive impacts as after blood donation the body produces new blood which is healthier.
He said that there are approximately 60,000 to 100,000 thalassemia patients in the country and if they had a minimum of two blood transfusions per month we need 2,00,000 bottles of blood per month.
He also lauded the role of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in the provision of safe blood and called that Youth should come forward and donate blood.
He urged all segments of society to wholeheartedly help the PRCS in this humanitarian cause.
According to a report approximately 100,000 patients are suffering from thalassemia in Pakistan and every year 5,000 babies are born with this deadly disease.