Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar thanked the Narendra Modi-led government for taking effective measures to eradicate sickle cell disease (SCD) from the country.
Madhya Pradesh has the highest burden of sickle cell disease (SCD) in India.
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What is sickle cell disease?
Sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disorder characterized by defective hemoglobin. It inhibits the ability of hemoglobin in red blood cells to transport oxygen.
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Symptoms of sickle cell anemia
Attend a program to observe World Sickle Cell Day In Madhya Pradesh’s Dindori district, Dhankhar said that when the people of India celebrate the centenary of independence in 2048, the country will be free of sickle cell disease, adding that Prime Minister Modi is determined to eliminate the ailment .
“Prime Minister Modi has set 2048 as the deadline to eliminate sickle cell disease from the country.. It means that when we celebrate the centenary of Independence, the country will be free of the disease,” the vice president said. Dhankhar also lauded the efforts and mission of the Madhya Pradesh government to eradicate sickle cell disease from the state. “I have no doubt. that India will be sickle cell free by 2048. Further work needs to be done in this direction,” he stated.
The vice president also appealed to all sections of the people to come forward and support the government’s mission. “It is a situation where we should help those suffering from the disease,” Dhankhar said.
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Prevalence of sickle cell anemia in India
Madhya Pradesh has the highest burden in the country with an estimated number of 9,61,492 sickle cell heterozygotes and 67,861 sickle cell homozygotes. Furthermore, 27 of the state’s 45 districts are in the sickle cell belt and the prevalence of HbS varies from 10 to 33 per cent. Across the state, 75 per cent of sickle cell anemia patients come from the tribal districts of Alirajpur, Anuppur, Chhindwara, Jhabua and Dindori. The disease has a 10 percent prevalence rate for symptoms in the tribal population and a 1 percent prevalence rate for the disease itself.
Rising cases of sickle cell anemia are a concern for the government as more than 6,736 new cases have been identified during 2023-24.
Source-IANS
