Chhattisgarh to screen students for sickle cell anaemia
April 6th, 2011 - 4:23 pm ICT by IANSRaipur, April 6 (IANS) Chhattisgarh Wednesday said it would screen school students and their mothers for sickle cell anaemia in a bid to check the increasing incidence of the disease in the state.
“The government is committed to detecting all sickle cell anaemia carriers and patients and provide them medical help free of cost. In fiscal year 2011-12, we have made a budgetary provision of Rs.2.93 crore for reaching out to school students and their mothers to screen them and detect the disease,” an official statement said.
Among the states, Chhattisgarh is one of the worst-hit by the disease. The latest official figures say of the state’s nearly 26 million people, up to 15 percent are sickle cell carrier and 1.2 percent are patients.
Sickle cell anaemia is an inherited genetic lifelong blood disorder characterised by red blood cells assuming an abnormal, rigid, sickle shape. It decreases the cell’s flexibility and results in a risk of serious complications. The disorder occurs due to a mutation in the haemoglobin gene. Life expectancy among patients is substantially shortened.
Health officials say the situation is alarming in 10 districts that have a high population of Other Backward Class (OBC) and tribal citizens among whom the disorder is very common.
The Chhattisgarh government has set up the Centre for Genetic Diseases and Molecular Biology to control the disease that is implementing the project and spreading awareness.
- Sickle cell anaemia grips 18 percent of Chhattisgarh's people - Sep 05, 2009
- Chhattisgarh seeks central help to battle sickle cell - Aug 31, 2010
- Chhattisgarh to step up sickle-cell patients detection drive - Nov 27, 2010
- Sickle cell patients number rising globally: Experts (Lead) - Nov 22, 2010
- Chhattisgarh to host international meet on rare disease (Lead) - Nov 20, 2010
- Chhattisgarh stares at massive health threat - sickle cell anaemia - Aug 26, 2009
- How sickle haemoglobin protects against malaria - Apr 29, 2011
- Global meet on sickle cell disease begins in Chhattisgarh - Nov 22, 2010
- Chhattisgarh's mobile clinics to battle disease - Jun 16, 2010
- Mother's bone marrow could cure diseases in unborn baby - Jan 19, 2011
- Awareness is key to prevent thalassemia - May 06, 2012
- Special protein to cure anaemia discovered - Aug 05, 2010
- Baby's genome lurks in mother's blood: Study - Dec 09, 2010
- Mums' stem cells could be key to treating genetic disease before birth - Jan 19, 2011
- Stem cell transplant cheap in India, but very few centres - Jan 01, 2011
Tags: blood disorder, budgetary provision, characterised, chhattisgarh government, crore, fiscal year, flexibility, genetic diseases, health officials, life expectancy, medical help, molecular biology, mutation, obc, raipur, red blood cells, rs 2, school students, sickle shape, tribal citizens