Guj to form body to tackle sickle cell anaemia

The Gujarat government has decided to set up a Sickle Cell Anemia Control Society in the state to address the grave concern of the disease in the tribal areas. The minister of health, Jaynarayan Vyas today informed the state assembly that the government will set up a society to prevent the disease and provide screening facility to the tribal areas of the state, where the level of the disease is high.

"The government has decided to set up a sickle cell anemia control society to contain the disease in the tribal regions and provide screening facility there. Gujarat will be the first state to take this step," claimed the minister in a reply to a question in the state assembly on Friday.

Informing about the other measures being taken by the government to prevent the disease, the minister informed the house that the government had been providing regular counselling to the families of the patients about the sickle cell anemia. Till January 31, 2011, as many as 1325 patients had been provided required blood at free of cost, Vyas informed.

The disease has been prevalent in the tribal belt of the state that includes districts like the Dangs, Valsad, Tapi, Surat, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Godhra, Dahod and Narmada.

The extent of the penetration of the sickle cell anemia disease in these districts is believed to be around 10-14 per cent of the total population of the respective districts.