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15 lakh tribal people in Gujarat to be screened in a year

The state health department has launched a screening drive under the Sickle Cell Anaemia Control Programme to identify members of various tribes suffering from the hereditary disease.

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The state health department has launched a screening drive under the Sickle Cell Anaemia Control Programme to identify members of various tribes suffering from the hereditary disease. Under the programme, the government plans to screen 15 lakh tribals within a year.

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a hereditary diseased affecting the red blood cells. It is seen mainly among the country’s various tribes. The state government plans to cover by 2015 close to 90 lakh tribal people under the programme.

Dinkar Raval, nodal officer of the programme, said that the aim is to ensure that there is no child with SCA in the state’s tribal districts by 2020.

“So far 18 lakh people have been screened, of which 2 lakh have shown traits of the disease. People with SCA traits are not patients of the disease but they can pass it on to their children if they marry an SCA patient or someone who has traits of the disease. Currently, there are 12,267 SCA patients in the state,” said Raval.

He said that during screening for the disease, the tribals are also counselled about the ailment.

“Every tribal tested is given a white, yellow or white & yellow card. White card holders are free of SCA; yellow card holders suffer from the disease while those with half-white and half-yellow cards carry traits of the disease. Those with yellow cards are advised not to marry those who have traits or those suffering from SCA to prevent them from passing on the disease to their children,” said Raval.

“We have set up a Sickle Cell Anaemia Control Society, which works to prevent the spread of the disease through awareness and screening. The disease is seen largely in the tribal population. We have screened nearly 14 lakh tribal people of the state in the last five years. We have adopted the public-private partnership (PPP) model for mass screening.” said PK Taneja, commissioner of health, state health department. He added that they planned to screen around 15 lakh tribal people within one year.

SCA is a genetic disorder which occurs due to an inherited abnormal haemoglobin (Hb) gene. This gene is responsible for the defective sickle-shaped red blood cells which cannot carry enough oxygen to the different cells of the body. Moreover, they tend to break up, thus blocking smooth flow of blood in the veins and arteries.

A doctor working with the state health department cited a survey done by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and said that patients of the disease suffer a lot of pain throughout their life, right from birth.

“Twenty percent of children born with the disease die by the time they are two years old. According to one survey by ICMR conducted among the primitive tribes of south Gujarat, including Kolcha, Kotwadia & Kathodi, 30% of the children suffering from SCA die before they reach adulthood (14 years) and the rest 70% die by the age of 50. The patients have to undergo regular blood transfusion for survival,” the doctor said. A team from Chhattisgarh will also be visiting the state to study its SCA programme which has earned laurels even from the Union health ministry.

(Inputs from Smitha R)

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