New Delhi: The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad launched the Reverse Dot Blot Hybridization (RDB) Thalassemia diagnostic kit.
The RDB Kit for r thalassemia is developed by scientists of National Institute of Immunohaematology (NIIH) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and is now being domestically manufactured by IMGENEX Ltd. The role of the molecular kit is to meet the need for affordable and sensitive tests for diagnosis of affected children and for prenatal diagnosis in the first trimester itself.
The kit has been developed to simplify the identification of 7 common beta-thalassemia mutations and two common abnormal haemoglobins (Hb S and Hb E), which will cover most of mutations in haemoglobinopathies in India, according to a health ministry statement.
It has been estimated that there would be 30 to 40 million carriers of beta-thalassemia in India and 10,000 to 12,000 babies with major thalassemia syndrome along with over 5,000 babies with sickle cell disease are born each year.
Also present at the launch function were A H Khan Chowdhury, minister of state for health and family welfare; K Desiraju, secretary (health), N Sanyal, secretary (ayush), Dr M C Misra, director, AIIMS, New Delhi, Dr Jagdish Prasad, director general, CGHS, other senior officers of the ministry of health and family welfare and scientists. [Source]
Lack of awareness, or will to create awareness to prevent this disease, is leading to increase in number of Thalassemia cases.
Let steps be taken as a caution – youngster getting married or planning to marry, a simple Blood test can prevent this dreaded UN CURABLE disease.