RM25m to fight thalassaemia

NST: Malaysia has entered the "Thalassaemia belt", which groups countries having a high percentage of sufferers of the disease.
And it has now embarked on an aggressive campaign to halt its spread.
The Government has allocated RM25.5 million to fight the disease.
Another RM19.9 million has been set aside as one-off assistance to help the poor buy equipment and obtain medication for the disease.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Ismail Merican said between 600,000 and one million Malaysians, mainly Malays and Chinese, were carriers. So, too, were many people in Sabah and Sarawak.
He advised those carrying the gene that causes beta- thalassaemia not to marry.
If they do, their children will develop thalassaemia major and they can die without proper treatment, which includes regular blood transfusions and drugs.
Many die because parents cannot afford to buy the expensive drug, Desferrioxamine, needed to remove the excess iron from the body after blood transfusions.
"With three to five per cent of our population being thalassaemia carriers, it is a problem that must be tackled effectively and quickly."
Dr Ismail, who launched the thalassaemia control and prevention forum at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia yesterday, said every year between 120 and 350 babies were born with thalassaemia.
He said Malaysia should have taken proactive measures to stop the spread earlier, but being a multiracial country, there were sensitivities to be taken into account when exploring strategies.