NATIONAL SICKLE CELL ELIMINATION MISSION - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

News: 7 crore people in tribal areas to be screened for sickle cell disease by 2025-26: FM

 

What's in the news?

       Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the National Sickle Cell Elimination Mission with targeted screening and intervention in tribal populations - set to be anchored by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and run by the Health Ministry under the aegis of the National Health Mission (NHM).

 

National Sickle Cell Elimination Mission:

Aim:

       It aims to eliminate sickle cell anaemia by 2047.

 

Administrative Control:

       The Ministry of Health Affairs is the nodal ministry to undertake the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Mission.

       The programme will be anchored and coordinated by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

 

Features:

       It will entail awareness creation, universal screening of seven crore people in the age group of 0-40 years in affected tribal areas, and counselling through collaborative efforts of Central Ministries and State governments.

       The screening exercise kicked off last year (2022-23) and aimed to cover one crore people for the year 2023.

       Beginning 2024, the mission aims to cover two crore people each year till 2025-26.

       It aims to set up prenatal diagnosis facilities in over 18 States wherever gaps were being identified, in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research laboratories.

       It also plans to set up two Centers for Excellence (advanced) in each of these States to set up diagnosis and treatment facilities.

       The NHM has estimated a cost of ₹542.5 crore for the entire screening exercise.

 

Go back to basics:

       Sickle cell anaemia is an inherited disease, meaning it runs from generation to generation.

       People who have the disease inherit two faulty genes - haemoglobin S, one from each parent.

       A person who has sickle cell trait inherits only one faulty gene. People with traits are generally healthy.

       Haemoglobin S changes flexible red blood cells into rigid sickle shaped cells, which can block blood flow and lead to pain and organ damage.

       There are approximately 15 lakh sickle cell-affected patients in the country, according to NHM estimates.