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What is sickle cell anaemia? Why govt announced a mission to eradicate this by 2047?

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It has been announced in this budget that work will be done in mission mode to eliminate sickle cell anaemia and it will be eliminated by 2047.

New Delhi, Feb 01: In her budget speech, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a national mission to eliminate Sickle Cell anaemia by 2047.

Representational Image

"A mission to eliminate sickle cell anaemia by 2047 will be launched. It will entail awareness creation, universal screening of seven crore people in the age group of 0-40 years in affected tribal areas and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments," said Sitharaman.

The finance minister also announced launch of Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission which will entail awareness creation, universal screening of 7 crore people in the age group of 0-40 years in affected tribal areas, and counseling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.

Reacting to the announcement, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said "an important announcement was made in this budget for the Ministry of Health. A government lab will be opened for those doing research in the health sector. The country should be free from sickle cell anaemia when it is celebrating 100 years of independence."

"Sickle cell anaemia is a very common disease in our tribal population. It has been announced in this budget that work will be done in mission mode to eliminate sickle cell anaemia and it will be eliminated by 2047," he added.

After polio, the government has focused its efforts on eliminating this disease from the country at the earliest.

So, what is Sickle Cell anaemia?

Sickle cell disease is the name for a group of inherited health conditions that affect the red blood cells. The most serious type is called sickle cell anaemia.

According to NHS, People with sickle cell disease produce unusually shaped red blood cells that can cause problems because they do not live as long as healthy blood cells and can block blood vessels.

Sickle cell disease is a serious and lifelong health condition, although treatment can help manage many of the symptoms.

Symptoms of sickle cell disease

People born with sickle cell disease tend to have problems from early childhood, although some children have few symptoms and lead normal lives most of the time.

The main symptoms of sickle cell disease are:

  • Children suffering from sickle cell anemia witness many diseases from birth
  • There is pain in the bones and muscles
  • Spleen of children increases in size
  • There may be swelling in the body
  • Frequent infections
  • Vision problems
  • Frequent blood transfusions may be required

Causes of sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease is caused by a gene that affects how red blood cells develop.

If both parents have the gene, there's a 1 in 4 chance of each child they have being born with sickle cell disease.

The child's parents often will not have sickle cell disease themselves and they're only carriers of the sickle cell trait.

What is the condition of sickle cell anaemia in India?

According to statistics data 3% of India's tribal population suffered from sickle cell anaemia, and the other 23% were carriers, that is, their genes can spread the disease.

India witnessed a rapid increase in anaemia after 1970, despite taking precautions.

How will the goal of eradicating anemia be accomplished?

The government has announced various initiatives to eradicate anemia. In 2018, the Modi government came out with the strategy of Anaemia Mukt Bharat. This included Poshan Abhiyaan, treatment of anemia using testing and digital methods and point of care, provision of fortified foods, and awareness raising through government-funded public health programs.

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