189 cases of thalassemia major detected

Children from Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province, and Guangxi’s Liuzhou City who suffer from thalassemia or have recovered from the disease pose for a photo after performing in an activity at Shenzhen Children’s Hospital marking World Thalassemia Day yesterday. Sun Yuchen

Shenzhen found 189 cases of thalassemia major in pregnant women in prenatal diagnosis last year, the city’s health authority said in a press release yesterday, World Thalassemia Day.

The city has run a free thalassemia screening program across the city since 2017. The program targets newly married couples who are planning to have a baby and pregnant women who haven’t had the screening before pregnancy. At least one of the couple should be a permanent resident of the city to qualify.

In 2018, 341,700 pregnant women and 139,500 spouses of pregnant women participated in the screening. It was found that 505 pregnant women carried the same type of thalassemia genes as their spouses, and 189 women were diagnosed with thalassemia major in prenatal diagnosis and received early intervention.

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that affects a diverse population, particularly those originating from South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean.

Guangdong Province is one of the areas with a high incidence of thalassemia, and one in six Cantonese people is a carrier of a thalassemia gene, according to the health authority.

Additionally, if both parents carry the same genetic trait for thalassemia, there is a one-in-four chance that the child will be born with the major form of the disease.

At present, there are 89 thalassemia screening institutions in the city that provide screening services free of charge. Couples can enjoy the service by presenting their ID cards or residence permits at these institutions.