UAE | Health
Thalassaemia website 'will help educate youngsters'
A website on the disease was launched on Sunday in a high-profile manner to send the message to a larger number of people.
- By Mahmood Saberi, Senior Reporter, Gulf News
- Published: 00:00 November 9, 2009
- Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture, launches a website dedicated to Thalassaemia at Al Wasl hospital yesterday.
- Image Credit: Virendra saklani,XPRESS
Dubai Health authorities in the emirate are reaching out to the younger generation in an attempt to stem the growing prevalence of thalassaemia, a deadly blood disorder among UAE residents, doctors said.
A website on the disease was launched on Sunday in a high-profile manner to send the message to a larger number of people. Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture, clicked a laptop keyboard key to launch the dedicated website, www.thalassemia-dubai.com
"It will attract teenagers who nowadays are on Facebook (and other social network sites)," said Dr Khawla Bel Houl, director of the Thalassaemia Centre.
The blood disorder affects one in 12 people in the UAE, with Emiratis and Pakistanis, being affected the most, according to the number of patients treated at the Centre.
The director said the authorities are proposing that university students should also be screened, expanding the checks which presently are restricted to couples who are planning marriage.
Dr Khawla said that while there is awareness of the disease among the younger generation, there is barely any compliance (on screening or testing). A thalassaemia test is free for Emiratis and costs about Dh50 for expatriates. The screening takes five minutes and is painless.
Healthcare professionals will benefit from having a localised resource containing international standard information, they can also e-mail for expert advice, she added.
The website will add to the centre's patient communication system that uses SMS to alert its patients to treatment changes, appointments, and its activities.
"The DHA (Dubai Health Authority) is dedicated to ensure we reduce the prevalence of thalassaemia in our society and we have given high priority to measures such as pre-marital testing," said Qadi Saeed Al Murooshid, director-general of the Authority.
He said it was important to reach out to the public and provide information on diagnosis and treatment options. "We want the public and health care providers to have a forum to interact and this website provides such an opportunity," he said.
Dr Khawla said education is the key part of chronic disease management. She said there were lapses earlier in the pre-marital screening, but it is now mandatory in all the emirates.
The Thalassaemia Centre treats 450 patients and is working at full capacity, said the director. She said most of the patients require blood transfusions every two or four weeks.
Disease: What is thalassaemia?
The disease reduces the number of normal blood cells in the body. The lack of red blood cells prevents the normal flow of oxygen around the body. The symptoms are fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, racing heart and paleness of skin.
For more information on thalassemia, log on to www.thalassemia-dubai.com
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