Aiming to create awareness among students regarding Thalassemia, the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) held a seminar on Tuesday, in collaboration with Thalassemia Awareness and Prevention in Pakistan (TAPP), a local NGO.
The awareness seminar on the causes of Thalassemia was held in NUML and was attended by a large number of students, faculty members and health experts.
Speaking at the seminar, TAPP President Ayesha Abid said: “The choice is yours. Either to get tested for the Thalassemia carrier status before you tie the knot or suffer the regrets, psychological stresses, financial burdens, life long trauma and costly medications among other challenges.”
She added that testing for Thalassemia before getting into wedlock could save future generations from becoming patients of Thalassemia major.
She also briefed students and other participants about the three different kinds of Thalassemia and informed that more than 10 million people are carriers of the Thalassemia minor gene.
She said that while being a carrier was not a dangerous situation but when a carrier married another, they could have a child who could have Thalassemia major.
She said it was the responsibility of institutions, teachers, parents and the media to create awareness about the problems associated with such marriages.
She stated that children suffering from Thalassemia had to face a difficult and painful life as starting from the age of three months; they needed blood transfusions throughout their lives.
Sami-ul-Haq, whose daughter Nimar Sami is a Thalassemia patient, spoke about the ordeals suffered by his family and daughter.
He said students should get tested for the gene and take preventative measures against the disease if they tested positive for Thalassemia.
NUML Rector Major Gen (r) Masood Hasan appreciated the efforts of the TAPP for the humanitarian cause.
He said the NUML administration, faculty members and students ensured their support for carrying forward the mission of achieving a ‘Thalassemia Free Pakistan’.
