Last week, World Vision Pakistan led a march to raise awareness of the common but widely unknown inherited blood disorder that affects over 10 million children in Pakistan.

For this year’s World Thalassaemia Day on May 8, World Vision’s Director in Pakistan Sigurd Hanson led the six kilometre march with more than 2,000 people, organised by the Kids Blood Diseases Organisation (KBDO), from Zaffar Park to the KBDO Hospital Complex in Mansehra, North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

"I was proud to walk side by side with children living with Thalassaemia, their parents and leaders of the KBDO and was inspired by the voluntary zeal of the KBDO leaders," said Hanson to participants and guests upon arrival at the complex.

He added, "World Vision Korea has already extended Rs2.4 million (£30,000) financial assistance to the KBDO, in recognition of its vital and invaluable work to prevent the suffering of so many children."

According to World Vision the minor form of Thalassaemia affects around 10 million children in Pakistan, while around 100,000 children suffer from its more debilitating form.

Some 500 to 700 children every month are diagnosed with the disease and every year more than 5,000 babies who are born with Thalassemia Major die before reaching their 15th birthday due to the unavailability of properly screened and matched blood.

"World Vision is confident that awareness raising will reduce the spread of the disease," the international agency said in a report released last Wednesday.

This year its staff helped to draft a bill for the establishment of Thalessaemia Centres at both national and provincial locations where blood can be screened. Due to this bill, efforts are now underway in the National Assembly for the introduction of legislation that would require mandatory blood screening prior to marriage.

World Vision noted that those suffering from Thalassemia Major are in need of a blood transfusion every 15 to 20 days. Transfusions are expensive and bone marrow treatment costs up to £60,000 per patient.

The agency also reported that poor, remote districts such as Mansehra and Battagram in the NWFP with a total population of 1,460,117 lack awareness of the disease, as well as proper medical facilities for the prevention and treatment of Thalassemia and other blood related diseases, including the screening of blood for Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS.

However, while families can neither physically nor financially access such treatment, other low-cost interventions exist such as the promotion and support of regular medical check ups of children with Thalassemiac indications and provision of medication and proper blood screening before blood transfusions to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

Together with its partner agencies including the KBDO, World Vision is appealing for further funding to improve the quality of life for some 20,000 children in the Mansehra and Battagram districts.

A widespread education campaign on the prevention of Thalassaemia, Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS and adoption of safe reproductive health practices will be coupled with upgraded medical equipment and medicine to selected medical facilities, World Vision reports.

Children will obtain safe, free treatment, including desferal injections to prevent a dangerous increase of iron in the blood, which is a leading cause of clinical deterioration and often death in patients with severe forms of Thalassemia.

Planning and Advocacy Officers will educate the public through the media, door-to-door visits, village committees, seminars and the distribution of pamphlets and magazines.

The project is providing trained staff including medical officers, nurses and blood and laboratory technicians to increase the efficiency level of treatment provided to patients.

According to World Vision, better health of children with Thalassaemia will enable them to attend school on a regular basis, experience improved quality of life and give them the opportunity of learning to manage the disease into their adult life.






Anthony Chiu
Christian Today Correspondent