Jaipur: To reduce prevalence of thalassemia, a genetic disorder, health department will launch a drive to make pregnant women aware of the risks during regular check-ups at hospitals. A senior official said the dept plans to carry out screening for thalassemia in the foetus of women to allow them termination of pregnancy as per law, in case the foetus tests positive for thalassemia.According to the health department’s records, 4,000 persons with thalassemia are currently undergoing treatment in the state, and every year, 100 to 200 new cases are added. “Thalassemia is a blood disorder. Children with thalassemia are on regular blood transfusions. We are making efforts to discourage marriages of a boy and girl who are thalassemia carriers but do not have symptoms. However, there is a 25% chance that a baby born to them is a thalassemia major, who will require blood transfusion regularly. Bone marrow transplant is an option for treatment, but it has some limitations,” said the official.He added, “If husband and wife are both thalassemia carriers, a genetic test can be done on the foetus of the pregnant woman to rule out thalassemia major.”At JK Lon Hospital, a study completed in July highlighted the effects of thalassemia on the eyes of its paedriatric patients. The study conducted by doctors Kapil Garg, Dhan Raj Bagri, and others was published in the June 2025 edition of Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion. TNN
