An estimated 20,000 Vietnamese people are living with thalassemia andrequire treatment, as heard workshop in Hanoi on May 5.

Thalassemia is a form of anaemia, a genetic blood disease a child caninherit if one or both of his/her parents carry the disease genre; therisk is higher if both parents have the disease. The disease is notalways symptomatic, but can be identified through testing.

The workshop was co-hosted by the National Institute of Haematologyand Blood Transfusion and the Vietnam Thalassemia Association inresponse to International Thalassemia Day (May 8), aiming to raisingpublic awareness of the disease and prevention methods.

Reports presented at the workshop showed about 7 percent of the worldpopulation carry the thalassemia genre. Vietnam is high risk of thedisease with an estimated 10 million people carrying the genre.

Experts from the institute said basic treatment methods are blood transfusions and iron elimination.

ProfessorNguyen Anh Tri, Director of the institute, shared that thalassemia is asocial issue that can seriously impact the economy and the quality oflife of a population.

He stressed the need to carry out the National Thalassemia Programme to reduce the number of children born with the disease.

On the occasion, a number of practical activities to support thalassemia patients will be arranged nationwide.-VNA