President, PM for creating awareness to prevent thalassemia

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called upon all to create awareness to prevent thalassemia.

They made the call in separate messages on the eve of 'World Thalassemia Day' that would be observed tomorrow.

President Hamid in his message said thalassemia is a genetically inherited disease and it passes on through a carrier.

"According to the physicians, if the parent carries the genes of the disease, they can pass it to their children. So it is necessary to have appropriate tests before marriage, whether the boy or the girl is carrying any gene of this deadly disease," the President said.

The Prime Minister, however, expressed her joy over the decision of observing the day in the country like elsewhere in the world.

"Thalassemia is a genetically inherited disease and Bangladesh Thalassemia Samity is playing an important role in preventing the disease. There is a big possibility of becoming a child a thalassemia patient, if its parent carries the deadly genes," she said in her message.

"So it is very important for the people who attained marriageable age to go through scanning to determine whether they are carrying the gene," The Prime Minister urged people from all walks of life for raising social movement against thalassemia in the country.

Source: BSS.