Thalassaemia Prevention Project members in collaboration with the Medical and Education Committee of Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi staged a public awareness walk on Saturday to mark the World Thalassaemia Day today (Sunday).
The participants of the walk including doctors, civil rights activists, thalassaemic children and their parents, started their walk from the Karachi Press Club and culminated at the Arts Council of Pakistan.
On the occasion parents, haematologists attending from the Hussaini Blood Bank, Kashif
Iqbal Thalassemia Control and Prevention Centre, Burhani Blood Bank and Al Mustafa Blood Bank highlighted the relevance of screened blood for the thalassaemics. The experts said that the World Thalassemia Day being observed on Sunday provides an opportunity to review the facilities available for people suffering from the blood-related genetic disorder.
Some thalassaemics drew the attention towards the lack of job opportunities for them and appealed to the government to make special arrangements.
Thalassaemia is a blood disorder passed down through families (inherited) in which the body makes an abnormal form of haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. The disorder results in excessive destruction of red blood cells, which leads to anaemia.
Doctors diagnose thalassaemia using blood tests. The disorders are treated with blood transfusions, medicines, and other procedures. Treatments for thalassaemia have improved greatly in recent years. People who have moderate or severe thalassaemia are now living longer and have better quality of life.
However, complications from thalassaemia and their treatments are frequent. People who have moderate or severe thalassaemias must closely follow their treatment plans. They need to take care of themselves to remain as healthy as possible.
