LEARNING ABOUT THALASSEMIA

They say Ignorance is bliss. But if the outcome of that ignorance is seeing your child suffer from a lifelong disease, then that ignorance is a punishable crime. The disease in question is thalassemia– a word unheard by the masses but if people knew the devouring rate at which their future generation is exposed to the risk of having the disease, they would blissfully forget the bliss.

Thalassemia is a genetic blood disease, which results in mild to severe anemia. Thalassemia patient's life depends on regular blood transfusion and expensive medications; otherwise the loss of hemoglobin in blood and iron overload in vital organs will lead the thalassemia patient to death within the first decade of his/her life. Although thalassemia cannot be cured by conventional treatment, it can be effectively prevented by stopping marriage between two thalassemia carriers. Because, If both the parents are thalassemia carriers only then their children can be thalassemia patients.  In Bangladesh, one out of 10 people is a thalassemia carrier and most of them don't even know about the fact, as a carrier doesn't possess any abnormal symptoms.

'Prevent It Before your child suffers'- with this slogan, Society for Thalassemia Awareness (STA) in association with its student wing TAG DU(Thalassemia Awareness Group, Dhaka University) arranged a two-day-long awareness campaign about thalassemia at the Faculty of Business Studies and TSC Premises of University of Dhaka on May  7 and 8 respectively, marking the International Thalassemia Day on May 8.

The programme started with a seminar about thalassemia awareness where the chief guest Professor Shibli Rubayat Ul Islam, Dean, Faculty of Business Studies emphasised on the significance of spreading consciousness among the young people as they are vulnerable to make an uninformed or unaware decision before marriage. Md Raquibul Islam Russeau, Founder and Chairman of STA was also present to share his opinion. “Our vision is to save the future generation from having this disease and reduce the sufferings of thalassemia patients in Bangladesh," he said. "With this vision, we have been organising several programmes since 2010, aimed to spread awareness among the young generation about the prevention of this disease." The special guest at the seminar, Professor Dr Salma Afroze, Department of Hematology, DMCH said that only bone marrow transplants can cure the disease which is out of reach for the common people. While discussing the severity of thalassemia in Bangladesh, Dr Md Abdur Rahim, Secretary General, Bangladesh Thalassemia Foundation stated that every year around 15,000 new babies are born with this dreaded disease which is increasing in an alarming rate, much more than HIV AIDS.

The two-day-long awareness campaign included Hb. Electrophoresis Test for carrier detection and a blood donation programme for the thalassemia patients, conducted by Bangladesh Thalassemia Samity. A photography exhibition by Mr Noor Alam, along with interactive games and quizzes were also arranged to create awareness among the students.