J-K draws up plan for those suffering from SDTPA in Arai

The Jammu and Kashmir government has drawn up an action plan to attend disability issues of people suffering from a very rare skelton disorder in Arai, a mountainous hamlet, in the state's Poonch district.
The disorder, Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Tarda with Progressive Arthropathy (SDTPA), was identified by experts of the Jammu University and the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University during a genetic investigation of disabled people in the village, a Raj Bhawan spokesman said.
Taking serious note, the state government has drawn up a action plan to attend disability issues concerning large chunk of population in Arai, he said.
SDTPA is an autosomal recessive genetic disease, the spokesman said, adding it spreads because of consanguineous marriages .

Till now 84 people have been found suffering from SDTPA in the village that has a population of around 2,000 people, he said.
The institutes will conduct DNA profiling of the targeted population, especially persons in the marriageable age and advise them suitably.

Commissioner Health and Medical Education Dr M K Bhandari has drawn up an action plan under which the health department will send a team of experts, including counsellors, to spread awareness, identifying patients for surgical corrections, provide prosthetic aids and palliative care, the spokesman said.
Chairperson J-K State Social Welfare Board Prof Nirmal Gupta had recently met Governor N N Vohra and sought his help to deal with the issue.

After the meeting the Governor directed the CEO of the Shrine Board to hold urgent consultations with Bhandari take required action, he said.
Deputy Commissioner Poonch will involve the local NGOs for organising regular awareness campaigns to educate the people that consanguineous marriages shall result in spreading the disease to the next generation, the spokesman said.
The symptoms of the disease start with joint pains and swelling resulting in the person becoming handicapped.