New Delhi, 08 May (HS). Union Health Secretary Apoorva Chandra said on Wednesday that awareness is necessary to prevent thalassemia. The burden of this disease can be reduced only by preventing it at the right time.
Speaking at a program org.zed on the occasion of International Thalassemia Day, Apoorva Chandra said that timely detection and prevention is the most effective strategy to deal with this disease. There are about 1 lakh patients of Thalassemia in the country, about 10 thousand new cases are reported every year.
Apoorva Chandra said that still many people are unaware of this disease and how it can be prevented. It is imperative that all stakeholders in the region collaborate in a nationwide campaign to raise awareness on Thalassemia. As an important step in this direction, he launched a video made in collaboration with the Indian Association of Pediatrics and Thalassemics India to promote effective prevention methods and optimal treatment of Thalassemia.
The Union Health Secretary also advocated the inclusion of mandatory thalassemia testing in the existing Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) programs under the NHM as a means of reducing the prevalence of the disease. He said that some states have included it in their public health programs and activities.
