THALASSEMIA - SCI & TECH
News:
Govt to start country-wide screening for thalassemia
What's in the news?
● The
Union government will soon launch a national
mission to tackle thalassemia - beginning with a country-wide screening exercise,
wherever required.
● This
will be modelled on the screening programme for sickle-cell disease, currently
under way.
Key takeaways:
● Thalassemia,
like sickle-cell disease, is a genetically
transmitted blood disorder, with doctors around the country reporting
around 10,000-12,000 children born with the disease every year.
Thalassemia:
● Thalassemia
syndrome is an inherited blood disorder that causes the body to have less hemoglobin than normal.
○ Haemoglobin
is a protein molecule found in red blood cells that transports oxygen.
Is it an heritable disease?
● It
is an inherited disease which is mainly caused due to the abnormal haemoglobin
synthesis.
● It
is transferred by one of the parents who
is a carrier of this disease due to either deletion of particular key gene
fragments or a genetic mutation.
Types of Thalassemia:
1. Thalassemia Minor:
● One
of the father’s and mother’s hemoglobin genes are passed down during conception
in Thalassemia minor.
● Carriers
or minor Thalassemia are people who have a trait of Thalassemia in one gene.
● Thalassemia
minor isn’t an illness and they have
just gentle pallor.
2. Thalassemia Major:
● This
is the most serious type of
Thalassemia. When a child inherits two mutated genes, one from each parent,
this happens.
● Within
the first year of life, patients with thalassemia major experience the symptoms
of severe anemia.
● They
are extremely susceptible to iron overload and other complications and require
regular transfusions or a bone marrow transplant to survive.
Symptoms:
● Bone
deformities, especially in the face
● Dark
urine
● Delayed
growth and development
● Excessive
tiredness and fatigue
● Yellow
or pale skin
Impact:
● The
disorder results in excessive
destruction of red blood cells, which leads to anaemia.
○ Anaemia
is a condition in which the number of red blood cells or haemoglobin is lower
than usual.
Treatment:
● Mild
thalassemia requires no treatment, but acute thalassemia might require regular blood transfusions.
Government Measures:
1. Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016:
● Thalassemia
was recognized as a benchmark disability.
2. Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana (TBSY):
● Coal India Limited,
under the auspices of the MoH&FW, is implementing TBSY (since 2017) as part
of its CSR initiative to support the
treatment of children affected by Thalassemia and Aplastic Anaemia.
● The
initiative provides financial assistance for a package cost of 10 lakhs per Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) directly
transferred from CIL to the institutions performing HSCT.
3. National Mission to tackle Thalassemia:
● The
Union government will soon launch the mission with a country-wide screening
exercise.