Control of Thalassemia in India

The β-thalassemias and sickle cell disorders pose a major health burden in the large and diverse Indian population. Education programs for awareness generation are being done by National Institutions, non-governmental organizations and Thalassemia Societies in different states. Several extensive epidemiological studies have shown that there are many non-tribal and tribal communities where the prevalence of b-thalassemia carriers is much higher (5.3 to 17.0%) than the average of 3 to 4% projected for the entire country. These variations have also been shown within small geographic regions in some states, emphasizing the need for micro mapping to estimate the true burden of disease. There are 10 to 12 centers where prenatal diagnosis for hemoglobinopathies is done and the Indian Council of Medical Research is establishing additional regional centers in states where they are most needed. Sixtyeight b-thalassemia mutations have been described so far among Indians and the knowledge on their prevalence and regional distribution has helped to undertake prenatal diagnosis in a cost effective way.