Awareness stressed to control thalassemia spread

CHARSADDA: Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Zahid Hussain on Monday stressed the need for launching aggressive awareness campaigns to control the fast-paced spreading of thalassemia disease.

“The youths, particularly students, should utilize their energies for a noble cause. They should play their pivotal role in raising awareness about controlling the spread of thalassemia and other blood disorders to save precious lives,” the VC said while speaking at a one-day seminar on raising thalassemia awareness at the BKUC.

The Directorate of Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) in collaboration with the Department of Youth Affairs and JZT had organised the seminar.

ORIC Director Dr Hamid, representatives of the Department of Youth Affairs and JZT and students attended the seminar in large numbers. A blood donation camp was also organised where several of students donated bags of blood for the thalassemia patients

Dr Zahid Hussain said that it was the need of the time to raise awareness about the fatal thalassemia disease and control it with a missionary spirit.He said that workshops, walks, seminars and conferences should be arranged to raise awareness about thalassemia and other blood-related diseases.

The VC said that genetic diseases like thalassemia, haemophilia and other blood-related disorders were spreading fast owing to the lack of awareness among the people.He said that thalassemia had affected over 2.5 million people, mostly children while 6,000 more were falling prey to the crippling disease every year.

The VC said that a healthy and thalassemia-free society could be established by supporting the existing thalassemia patients by donating blood for them and raising awareness about pre-marital medical tests for couples to control the disease.He assured that the university would supplement efforts in raising awareness to stop the spread of thalassemia.