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Volume 6, Issue 5(Suppl) Epidemiology (Sunnyvale)
ISSN: 2161-1165 ECR, Open Access
Page 65
Notes:
Epidemiology 2016
October 3-5, 2016
conferenceseries.com
Epidemiology & Public HealthOctober 3-5, 2016|London, UK
4th International Conference on
COMBATING THALASSEMIA BYA GENETIC TOOL: PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS FROM
CHORIONIC VILLI SAMPLE
Rajlaxmi Basua, Siddhartha Sankar Ray a, Maitreyee Bhattacharyyaa and Sila Chakrabartia
aMedical College of Kolkata, India
C ongenital and hereditary genetic diseases are becoming a significant health burden in India, and hence there is a need for
adequate and effective genetic testing and counseling services in India. As there is no substantive cure for thalassemia, the
financial burden of treatment and themental trauma to the affected and their families are very severe, subcontinent. Prevention of the
birth of new thalassemic babies is, therefore, important to control the occurrence of this disease. Prevention can be done by increasing
the awareness and carrier testing at a mass level. Unfortunately, lack of awareness and an indifferent attitude towards thalassemia is
very common among people of lower socio economic group with grave consequences.
Though there is a definite need for carrier screening in our country, it is hard to draw a consensus regarding the time of
screening. Due to lack of education and public awareness about the disease, even being a carrier status often becomes a stigma.
Various options for preventing the spread of thalassemia are (i) screening of school going children (ii) premarital screening
(iii) extended family screening for carriers (iv) routine antenatal screening in early pregnancy between 8-12 weeks. The first
four options are logistically extremely difficult in a country like India with a very large population. The most feasible option
is to test the mother antenatally (in early pregnancy) preferably in the first trimester. The parents are usually cooperative and
would usually agree to get any tests done for the well-being of their child. Presently in the state of West Bengal (India) prenatal
genetic screening and counseling has been given priority by the Government to eradicate thalassemia. In 2010 the West Bengal
government started a program named “State Thalassemia Control Project(STCP)” with the aim of creating awareness about
thalassemia and the detection of thalassemic patients as well as carriers
Biography
Rajlaxmi Basu is a PhD student, working at Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine and a registered Fellow at University of Calcutta. She has exposure
in occupational toxicology and occupational health and has attended many OMICS International conferences since many years with utmost fervor and many more
in National and International level. She has published 6 international articles in premium peer reviewed journals and 3 are in pipe line and a book chapter also been
published. She is also interested to explore in writing and attach to an editorial board of a journal.
Rajlaxmi Basu et al., Epidemiology (Sunnyvale), 6:5(Suppl)