Every year Vietnam needs thousands of billions of dong to treat Thalassemia.

On the occasion of World Thalassemia Day, May 8, the Department of Population (Ministry of Health) issued a report on the increasing number of people with congenital hemolytic anemia (Thalassemia), which has overloaded hospitals, put heavy pressure on blood banks as well as burdened social costs.

It is estimated that each year Vietnam needs thousands of billions of VND to treat all Thalassemia patients.

Therefore, this year's World Thalassemia Day is being promoted by the Ministry of Health with the theme: Increasing the dissemination of information and access to services on Thalassemia to contribute to improving the quality of the Vietnamese race.

According to the Department of Population, in Vietnam, there are currently more than 10 million people carrying the Thalassemia gene, over 20,000 patients in need of treatment. Each year, about 8,000 children are born with the disease, of which about 2,000 children have a severe disease, requiring lifelong treatment.

Thalassemia is an incurable disease, but preventive measures can be taken to limit the rate of children born with the disease and carrying the disease gene each year, thereby reducing the burden on society, improving the quality of life and the quality of the race.

Communication activities in response to World Thalassemia Day on May 8 were organized nationwide to raise awareness among all people, especially couples of childbearing age, young men and women about to get married, about the importance of pre-marital counseling and health check-ups; screening, diagnosis, and early treatment of prenatal and neonatal diseases...

Thalassemia (also known as Thalassemia) is a genetic-inborn disease, characterized by causing excessive hemolysis and often leading to chronic anemia. The disease occurs in both men and women. The disease has two prominent manifestations: anemia and iron overload in the body, so patients must be treated for life. If not treated regularly and fully, there will be many complications that cause the patient to have slow physical development, reduced learning and working capacity.

A carrier of the disease gene is someone who appears completely normal, has no clinical symptoms, and is the source of genetic transmission in the community. Therefore, the probability of carriers meeting and marrying in the community leads to many couples being at risk of having children with the disease without knowing it.

To reduce the burden of treatment and care for patients, the Department of Population recommends that people can effectively prevent diseases by measures such as counseling and health check-ups before marriage; screening, diagnosis, and early treatment of diseases and disabilities before and after birth. These activities help them make the right choices about marriage as well as the decision to get pregnant and give birth to children who do not have Thalassemia.

Ways to prevent Thalassemia:

- Pre-marital counseling: to raise awareness, adolescents should proactively get screened for Thalassemia before getting married;

- If both people carry the Thalassemia gene and get married: they need to be counseled before planning to get pregnant.

- If a couple carrying the Thalassemia gene gets pregnant: they need to be diagnosed prenatally when the fetus is 12-18 weeks old, at specialized medical facilities.

- Need to be consulted by hematologists, pediatricians and prenatal and newborn screening centers about Thalassemia.