Thalassaemia association hails national plan

The cabinet’s approval of the national strategy plan to tackle thalassemia has been hailed by the Pancyprian Thalassaemia Association (PTA) as one of the most important developments in recent years.

At a press conference on Thursday, the PTA said the plan will help deal with “our national illness” by preventing, investigating, and monitoring the disease and will make Cyprus once again a paragon of dealing with it.

The association stressed the prevalence of the disease, highlighting that one in seven Cypriots is a carrier of beta thalassemia meaning that one in 49 couples have a 25 per cent chance to have a child with the illness.

They further stated that there are over 100,000 carriers of beta thalassemia and a very high amount have alpha thalassemia, as such that without a preventative programme there would be 50-75 births a year of children with thalassemia.

The programme, which has been in operation for over 40 years, provides treatment for 1,150 people with thalassemia and other related issues.

Genetic counselling and testing are recommended for families who carry the trait.