Mandatory health checkup before marriage is must to prevent thalassaemia scourge

The figure is astounding. As the parents in a relatively backward society of Bangladesh are not aware of the cause of thalassaemia and do not take preventive measures accordingly, around 15 children are born with this disease of blood disorder every day. In the South Asian region there is a prevalence of the disease and reportedly six out of every 100 Bangladeshis carry the gene responsible for the disorder.
Thalassaemia, a congenital disease when the patient produces little haemoglobin necessary for preserving health and growth of children, is passed from parents to children. This blood disorder is the cause of anaemia in thalassaemia patients, who can suffer exhaustion after little exertion and shortness of breath. They always look pale because of paucity of red blood cells in blood. A child without sufficient haemoglobin in blood is also susceptible to various infections. Moreover, children with anemia grow with weak bones.

Lifelong blood transfusion is the treatment of a patient with serious thalassaemia. Chelation therapy is also necessary to remove the excess iron from the bodies of patients. Management of the disease is costly and difficult, but this burden of living can easily be avoided if people’s blood is screened.

If both parents carry the gene for the disease, there is a risk that their children can be born with this disease. For the birth of healthy babies, that is why mandatory screening of blood for everyone is necessary before they get married.

Very positively, last year a writ was filed in the High Court with petitioners demanding option on the NID card for a person’s thalassemia information to prevent marriage of two thalassemia carriers. On August 7, 2022, the HC issued a rule asking the government to explain why the authorities concerned should not be directed to add information about thalassemia to the National Identity (NID) card.

At that time it was hoped that HC move could prevent birth of children with thalassaemia by stopping marriage of the disease carriers. As of now the HC is yet to give a verdict on the matter making the rule effective. On the occasion of World Thalassaemia Day observed yesterday, the relevant health experts in Bangladesh stressed the need for a mandatory health check-up for thalassaemia carrier status before starting a family. It can check the spread of the blood disorder.