Gujarat, a model for thalassemia prevention

Gujarat has emerged as a role model for states that are struggling to control thalassemia, the genetic blood disorder, which necessitates regular blood transfusion.

As many as 186 thalassemic childrens' births were prevented in the state during 2015-2016 after screening mammoth three lakh pregnant women in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Bhavnagar districts.

The number is significant considering that on an average 1,000 thalassemic major children are born in Gujarat every year. This record prevention has been achieved by the Indian Red Cross Society's Gujarat state branch that runs thalassemia, prevention programme with the support of the state government.

In a recently formulated national policy on hemoglobinopathies, the central government has included Gujarat as a role model in thalassemia prevention, said Prakash Parmar of the Indian Red Cross Society (Gujarat). Parmar is one of the experts in the 11-member central committee that formulated the policy .

"The aim of the prevention programme is to free Gujarat from thalassemia,. In 2015-16, we could prevent 186 births after testing the foetuses. We are expanding our screening programme in other districts to cover the entire state in coming years,'' Parmar told TOI.

Similar screening programmes have been started in Kutch, Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Surat this year.

Parmar said that the thalassemia, prevention team from Gujarat has been invited to other states to train the medical staff there. "In July , we will be going to Rajasthan to impart training for tests and screening there," he said.

According to an estimate, there are over 10,000 children in the state who are suffering from thalassemia, and have to regularly undergo blood transfusion.

2nd bundle of joy

Rajkot: The pre-natal diagnosis helped many thalassemia-minor couples to have a normal second child even though their first child was a thalassemia-major. Out of the three lakh pregnant women we screened, 1,500 couples were found to be thalassemia-minor. However, only 186 would-be children were found to be thalassemia, major and their births were prevented. In fact, out of 600 couples whose first child were thalassemia, majors, 597 had a normal second child."It is not necessary that thalassemia-major couples can't conceive a healthy child. But it is important they go for screening and ensure that their child is normal,'' Parmar added.

Screening process

Rajkot: Chances of the child being born a thalassemia major are maximum if both parents are thalassemia minors. In order to prevent the birth of thalassemia-major child, the pregnant woman is tested to confirm if she is thalassemia-minor. If she tests positive, her husband is also tested. If he too tests positive, a pre-natal diagnosis is conducted to determine whether the unborn child is thalassemia-major or not. If it is positive, the couple is counselled and advised to terminate the pregnancy.