World Thalassemia Day 2022: Date, Theme, History and Significance

WORLD THALASSEMIA DAY 2022: Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder in which the body fails to create enough haemoglobin, resulting in the weakening and destruction of red blood cells. Two types of thalassemia, alpha and beta occur, with Thalassemia Minor, Thalassemia Intermedia and Thalassemia Major being sub-categories. The compromised red blood cells cause a host of problems, such as anaemia, shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, and irregular heartbeats.

World Thalassemia Day aims to create awareness about the ailment and support patients, their families and health care workers with information to combat it. Below, we look at the date, theme and significance of the day.

WORLD THALASSEMIA DAY: DATE

World Thalassemia Day is marked on May 8, every year. The event was first organised by the Thalassemia International Federation (TIF) in 1994, in memory of George Englezos, the son of TIF founder Panos Englezos. He had lost his life to the disease. Since then, the event is observed every year.

WORLD THALASSEMIA DAY: THEME

The theme for this year’s celebration of World Thalassemia Day is, “Be Aware. Share. Care: Working with the global community as one to improve Thalassemia knowledge.” As the theme mentions, developing and spreading awareness about thalassemia all over the world and caring for those affected by the disease are the key areas of focus for this year’s event.

It aims to inspire individuals to join in the fight against the disease and to provide the patients with utmost care in terms of both health and social support.

WORLD THALASSEMIA DAY: SIGNIFICANCE

The National Health Ministry of India website estimates that around 10,000 to 15,000 infants are born each year in India with Thalassemia Major. Globally, this number rises to around 300,000 to 500,000 children. About 67,000 patients suffer in India from beta Thalassemia.

The World Thalassemia Day event is significant in the sense that it aims to reduce the number of children born with thalassemia. Some people are silent carriers of thalassemia and both of them can pass down the disease to their children. So, proper screening is essential to detect carriers. The event educates the masses on these issues.