Thalassaemia control by carrier screening: the Indian scenario

摘要

Thalassaemia control is possible by screening of general population for carrier status and antenatal diagnosis in couples identified to be at risk (possibility) of having a child with thalassaemia. We conducted a study to explore if extended family screening for carrier detection was feasible in India and what are the barriers to its acceptance. For this, 100 families with a thalassaemic child were interviewed using a predesigned questionnaire. Results show that although parents have no reservationin sharing information about their thalassaemic child, relatives of 62 parents accepted the risk of being a carrier and 14 families got themselves tested for it. Thirtyfour families were willing to get tested but because of non-availability of screeningfacility in the nearby town, they could not get themselves tested. We conclude that there is need to make screening more readily available and motivate the high risk groups through awareness programmes.