Awareness needed to abolish thalassaemia: Das

Kolkata, May 8 (UNI) Spreading awareness about thalassaemia can help us overcome the 'biggest hurdle' in wiping this disease from the society, West Bengal Information and Technology Minister Debesh Das said today.

Addressing mediapersons on the occasion of 'World Thalassaemia Day' here, Mr Das emphasised on the need to spread awareness from the grass root level, so that more and more people are '''not only aware about it but also take active role to abolish this disease from the face of this earth''.

''Lack of awareness is a serious issue, we must make sure that people take sincere efforts to stop this disease from multiplying, and must get help from the professionals,'' he said at the programme jointly organised by the Thalassaemia Society of India and Rotary Club of Calcutta.

'Grants have already been set aside, but what is most important is that more people need to be properly educated about the consequences of letting their child acquire this disease. They need to know the ways of preventing and treating the disease as well,'' Mr Das said.

Speaking on the occasion, Rotarian and District Governor of Rotary India Debasish Mitra said there is a need for counselling the affected people so that they can help stop its effect from spreading.

''It is now necessary for everyone who are about to be married to undergo a blood test for thalassaemia. It needs to be ascertained, whether both the partners are carriers or not,'' Mr Mitra said adding ''If both are carriers of the disease then the risk of their offspring being a victim is almost 99 per cent. But, if only one is a carrier or none are carriers then the child runs no risk of acquiring this disease.'' UNI