Around 34% of state’s population suffers from inherited blood illness called sickle cell anaemia. Guj’s Rathwa tribe most susceptible to the disease.
The incidence of genetic disorders that cause severe anaemia, including thalassemia and sickle cell disease, is the highest in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. This is the finding of a recent study conducted on samples taken from different states by the sickle cell anaemia control programme supported by the Gujarat government. Of the samples from Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh examined for the study, 34% were found to have sickle cell anaemia.
Maharashtra is third with 33% of its population suffering from sickle cell anaemia while Bihar and Tamil Nadu are at the fourth position with 31% of its people suffering from the genetic blood disorder.
On the occasion of World Thalassemia Day and World Red Cross Day (both of which fall on May 8), the Indian Red Cross Society on Sunday will screen 10,000 young people in the state for genetic disorders. In Ahmedabad, the Red Cross will set up five centres for this purpose.
Mahesh Trivedi, secretary, Indian Red Cross Society, Ahmedabad, said that, on Sunday, teams of trained Red Cross volunteers will take oath in different rural and urban areas of the state to join the thalassemia care, awareness and prevention (CAP) mission.
Volunteers joining the mission will spread awareness about the need for precautionary measures, including testing of prospective brides and grooms for thalassemia and sickle cell disease, Trivedi said. Couples who are carriers of either of the genetic disorders must get pregnancies screened within the first few weeks of conception so that, if the foetus is found to carry the defective gene, the pregnancy can be legally terminated.
Besides, volunteers would also disseminate information about the latest treatments available for the management or even cure of thalassemia and sickle cell disorders, Trivedi added.
Dr Sandip Shah of Gujarat Cancer Research Institute (GCRI) said gathering data on the genetic diseases prevalent in the state's population is vital.
"Many genetic disorders, including thalassemia major, are now curable," Shah said. "Among the latest treatments available for thalassemia major and sickle cell disease are cord or umbilical transplants which make frequent blood transfusion unnecessary," Shah said. So far, GCRI has done around 20 transplants for thalassemia major. Of these, 12 were of cord transplants while eight were umbilical transplants. The sickle cell anaemia control programme's study notes that the frequency of sickle cell disease in the state's Rathwa tribal community is as high as 57.14%, followed by 47.76% in Pardhi community and 39.43% in Banya community. The Rathwa tribal community lives mainly in Chhota Udaipur, Naswadi, Jetpur and Sankheda in Gujarat.
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