New Delhi: National Sickle Cell Anemia Eradication Mission, screening of more than 1 crore people
New Delhi: More than 1 crore people have been screened for sickle cell disease under the National Mission to Eradicate Sickle Cell Anemia, an official statement issued on Tuesday said. “The Health Ministry has crossed an important milestone,” the statement said. The statement said the mission seeks to test 7 crore people in 3 years.
Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disease that affects the entire life of the affected patient. It is more common in the tribal population of India but also occurs in non-tribals. The National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 1, 2023 in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh. This program is being run in a mission mode for screening, prevention and management of sickle cell anemia in all tribal and other highly prevalent areas of the States and Union Territories of India.
The focus is on 278 districts in 17 states with high prevalence of SCD, namely Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar and Uttarakhand.
