With one million people in the UAE reportedly said to be carriers of thalassemia gene, doctors urge parents to get their children tested early and not wait till before marriage.
"It is difficult to reverse the process," said Dr Khawla Bel Houl, director of the Thalassaemia Centre, explaining the trauma the child will undergo when the pre-marital test is positive. "You can't ask the child to make the decision then," she said.
The doctor also urged companies not to discriminate against thalassaemia patients saying this condition is genetic, not contagious. "Please help us integrate them into society," she said.
She said thalassaemia patients are "hooked on to blood" for life, meaning that they require blood transfusions every month. Each patient requires two units per month.
A blood donation campaign will also be held during the campaign. The number of new thalassaemia patients in Dubai has been halted, with just one case reported last year, but more new cases are being reported from other emirates.
While in the UAE, one in 12 people carries the gene for thalassaemia, which works out to 600,000 people affected by the blood disorder, Dr Khawla said expatriates coming into the country from south and south-east Asia, North Africa and the Mediterranean will easily push up the figure to a million people affected.
An awareness campaign was launched on Monday to mark World Thalassaemia Day which falls on May 8.
By Mahmood Saberi
