Noxious diseases are innumerable and they take a heavy toll on particularly the vulnerable segments of the society. The saddest part of this hapless scenario is that not only Pakistan but almost all the underdeveloped and developing societies of the world are in a quandary as they do not have adequate resourses to deal with it effectively. Thalassaemia is one such dreadful disease.
To be able to know how noxious this disease is one must not only know a little about its background but also know how seriously it affects people who become its victims. It is interesting to know that the word ‘Thalassaemia’ is derived from the Greek word ‘Thalassaemia’ (sea) because of its prevalence in the Mediterranean region. Also known as ‘Mediterranean Anaemia’, Thalassaemia is a group of inherited blood disorders that affect the body’s ability to produce haemoglobin and red blood cells – patients have a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells in their bodies and too little haemoglobin. In many cases the red blood cells are too small. Our red blood cells carry haemoglobin. Haemoglobin, a protein, carries the oxygen we breathe in through our lungs and transports it to the rest of the body. A spongy material inside some of our bones – bone marrow – uses iron that our body takes from food and makes haemoglobin. The bone marrow of people with Thalassaemia does not produce enough healthy haemoglobin or red blood cells, which causes anaemia and fatigue, because the body is short of oxygen. In more severe Thalassaemia cases, the patient’s organs may be damaged; there is restricted growth, heart failure, liver damage, and even death. People with mild Thalassaemia may not require any treatment at all.
In more severe forms of the disease, the patient may need regular blood transfusions. Doing plenty of exercises and eating a healthy diet can help some of the symptoms of Thalassaemia, especially fatigue. There are many forms of Thalassaemia, with different sub-types. Both Alpha and Beta forms include Thalassaemia Major and Thalassaemia Minor. A defective gene inherited from both parents results in Thalassaemia Major, while a defective gene inherited from only one parent results in Thalassaemia Minor. Foetuses with the most severe form of Alpha Thalassaemia are stillborn, whereas babies carried to term and born with the disease appear normal but develop severe anaemia during the first year of life. Other symptoms may include bone deformation of the face, failure to grow normally, fatigue, shortness of breath and jaundiced (yellow) skin.
The scenario depicted above is undoubtedly hair-raising. Could anyone turn a blind eye to this grave health problem that confronts particularly the vulnerable segments of our society? Could the government upon which it is obligatory, under the constitution of Pakistan, to provide adequate and appropriate health facilities to its citizens do so? No, it certainly cannot. The world is preparing to commemorate ‘Thalassaemia Day’ in the first week of May. The Government of Pakistan must also celebrate this important day with a sense of responsibility and commitment. Not only this, it should also a make a solemn pledge on this day to deal with this menacingly dangerous disease on war-footing as this disease can be fatal; it is also extremely painful and requires costly treatment.
M FAZAL ELAHI
Islamabad
Comments are closed.