PM Modi launches National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission: What is this genetic disorder?

The “National Sickle Cell Elimination Mission” is officially launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today with the goal of eradicating the disease by 2047. This is the start of a targeted, large-scale initiative to screen seven crore people between the ages of 0 and 40 for the sickle cell trait and disease, a genetic condition that is especially common in areas with a significant tribal population. It is crucial to concentrate on Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA) identification in the community since, according to Forbes India, India has the second-highest global prevalence of Sickle Cell Disease. So what exactly is the disorder? How India is trying to eradicate the disease? Let’s take a closer look. What is sickle cell anaemia? The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) describes sickle cell anaemia as a collection of inherited red blood cell conditions that have an impact on the protein known as haemoglobin, which transports oxygen throughout the body. Round and healthy red blood cells travel via tiny blood channels to deliver oxygen to every region of the body. When a person has SCD, their haemoglobin is defective, which makes the red blood cells hard and sticky, giving them the appearance of the C-shaped farm implement known as a “sickle.” [caption id=“attachment_12813162” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] India has the second-highest global prevalence of Sickle Cell Disease. Freepik[/caption] Red blood cells are constantly in insufficient supply due to the early death of sickle cells. Additionally, they become caught and obstruct the flow of blood when they pass through tiny blood arteries. Infection, acute chest syndrome, stroke, and other severe consequences including discomfort are all possible side effects of this. The quality of life is lowered without treatment, and severe instances might be deadly in the first few years of life. It results from a gene deficiency. 1. Only when two genes, one from the mother and one from the father, are inherited will a person be born with SCD. 2. A person with just one gene-related disease is referred to as a “carrier” and is healthy. If a carrier has a child with another carrier, there is a higher probability that the child will have SCD, explained Hopkins Medicine. A child’s likelihood of developing sickle cell disease (SCD) is one in four, or 25 per cent if both parents are sickle cell gene carriers. Also read: World Sickle Cell Day 2022: Know all about symptoms and treatment of the disease When it was first discovered? The peculiar red blood cells were first found in an anaemic student from Spain’s Granada, according to a 1910 report by a physician named James Herrick. The description of sickle cell anaemia in Western medical literature dates back to this time. According to The Hindu, in India, the first descriptions of SCD appeared when researchers H Lehmann and Marie Cutbush were examining tribal communities in the Nilgiri hills in 1952. Around this time, it was also discovered in tea garden workers in Upper Assam who had migrated from tribal communities in Bihar and Odisha. These workers had previously worked in tribal areas in those states. Haemoglobinopathies, or blood illnesses, are more prevalent among tribal groups in India than non-tribal tribes, according to research and screening schemes. Additionally, studies have indicated that SCA is widespread in populations living in malaria-endemic regions. Doctors discovered that malaria survivors were more likely to have sickle red blood cells in the middle of the 1940s. In several African nations, it was discovered that those who possessed the trait may be immune to deadly kinds of malaria and had an advantage over others in terms of survival, as per the report. Thus, the sickle cell trait provided an evolutionary benefit, providing certain people with immunity during malaria epidemics. States and union territories in India with large tribal populations produce a considerable amount of malaria cases. Additionally, societies that practise endogamy have higher documented rates of SCA due to the increased likelihood of having two parents who have the sickle cell trait. What are the symptoms? Red blood cells in a person with SCA will resemble sickles or crescent moons. In most cases, there is no cure for SCA. Anaemia, in which red blood cells expire within 10 to 20 days while being expected to last for 120 days before replacement, is one of the indications of this illness, according to India Today. As a result, there is an RBC deficiency, which leads to anaemia. The body is left worn out and exhausted as a result. Because sickle cells harm the spleen and make people more susceptible to infections, people may have swelling in their hands and feet. Babies and kids may endure sluggish or delayed growth and puberty as a result of a lack of RBCs. Pain crises are recurring periods of discomfort. It could last a few hours to a few days and manifest as chest, abdominal, and joint discomfort that fluctuates in intensity. How can it be treated? Sickle cell disease is a chronic condition. The only treatment for the illness for now, however, is bone marrow or stem cell transplants, both of which include a number of hazards, as per NHLBI. What has India done so far to eradicate it? More than seven crore tribal populations in 17 states throughout the nation now suffer from sickle cell disease, as per India TV News. PM Modi officially began the Sickle Cell Anaemia Mission 2047 today at the national level in an effort to protect a sizable population from this disease. The mission planned in the Union budget for 2023 would begin with a public event in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, the state with the biggest absolute number of tribal people according to the Census of 2011. According to research by the National Health Mission, MP also has the highest prevalence of sickle cell disease. The Indian premier also handed out sickle cell genetic status cards to the recipients at the start of the national mission. The mission will be put into practice in 278 districts across 17 states with a high priority, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, MP, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and more, reported Times of India. The mission will be an exercise in cooperation between the state, tribal, and health ministries. The National Health Mission will be in charge of the screening, according to officials. Additionally, a portal where data will be uploaded and tracked has been built, reported The Hindu. The tribal affairs ministry would prioritise raising awareness, promoting counselling, and helping medical professionals reach tribal clusters for screening. The ministry has also written a book containing advice from experts on how the administration would implement awareness-raising and counselling initiatives. The government’s primary focus area is on how to eradicate this disease through increased public awareness, according to tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda, who spoke at a workshop on spreading awareness on “World Sickle Cell Day,” which is held annually on 19 June. Gujarat became the first state in India to include the “Sickle Cell Anaemia Control Programme” in the government’s health agenda in 2006 when PM Modi was the chief minister, and it was gradually expanded to cover all 14 tribal districts by 2008, according to TOI. As of December 2010, 414 clinics in the 14 tribal regions were providing complete care for SCA patients. The government subsequently set out to mass-screen all 61.6 lakh tribal people in Gujarat for sickle cell disease within five years. This was done in an effort to catch the condition early and start the right treatments right away. For instance, all individuals who underwent screening received laminated colour-coded cards that were used in marital counselling so that two individuals with yellow cards could not be married. In order to make a diagnosis of those who aren’t yet ready to get married, the state implemented a policy of screening adolescents as well. The impact, according to The Hindu quoted Dr Deepa Bhatt, a researcher at JSS Medical College in Mysuru, is debatable. The card system will assist you to know the patient’s status, but my main concern is if it would stigmatise the person. In one field study, a patient expressed worry that she was not receiving a marriage alliance because she was a carrier, thus her father tried to “hide it.” Activists worry such a card will merely serve to stigmatise the person as a disease carrier, alienate them, and place the blame for the spread of the disease on the community. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook_,_  Twitter and  Instagram_._