May 8 – World Thalassaemia Day

World Thalassaemia Day is celebrated on the 8th of May every year to increase awareness of Thalassaemia disease, its symptoms, treatment, and preventive measures. Also, this day is celebrated to motivate those who are diagnosed with the disease.

Thalassaemia is a blood disease that is transferred from parents to children. A person diagnosed with thalassemia has one of his parents as a carrier of the disease. In this disease, the body is unable to produce red blood cells and haemoglobin. There are various types of Thalassaemia and the treatment of this disease would depend on the type of Thalassaemia and the severity of the disease. This disease is common in African, and Mediterranean, South Asian ancestry.

There are many organizations that are also taking an active part in increasing awareness regarding this disease. Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF) is a patient-driven non-governmental and non-profit organization that is actively involved in organizing the events with the members of the organization in several countries. The federation organizes several activities such as health-related debates, awareness about thalassaemia, patient’s life when diagnosed with the disease and others. Also, TIF is engaged in spreading information about haemoglobin disorders, iron deficiency, and hemoglobinopathies among people. The organization even distributes educational materials about thalassaemia disease among people. In addition to these activities, TIF sets themes to celebrate this day. The theme for 2021 is ‘Addressing Health Inequalities Across the Global Thalassemia Community’.

Additionally, the World Health Organization and other health bodies also focus on the basic rights of patients suffering from thalassaemia disease. Ketto plays an active role in creating awareness and helps patients and families gather funds through crowdfunding online to pay for the disease related expenses.

---

Some of the objectives of World Thalassaemia day are as follows:

• To create awareness about the disease
• Create awareness regarding the symptoms and how one can live with the disease
• To guide a thalassaemia patient to seek healthcare professional help before marriage 
• Create awareness regarding vaccination among children, its impact on their health, importance, and other factors
• Clear the misconceptions regarding the Thalassemia vaccination

---

What are the symptoms of thalassaemia?

Some of the common symptoms of thalassaemia are as follows:

• Fatigue
• Drowsiness 
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Delayed growth
• Headaches
• Jaundice 
• Dizziness 

Thalassaemia can be diagnosed with blood tests and is no longer a fatal disease. World Thalassaemia Day is celebrated on the 8th of May to create awareness among the people about this disease. In addition, World Thalassaemia Day is celebrated to honour the patients who are suffering from the disease and their parents and relatives who have not lost their hope due to the burden of this disease. A patient diagnosed with thalassaemia can lead a productive and long life with proper treatment and care. To learn more about crowdfunding and for more details, visit www.ketto.org.