In Cyprus, the estimated number of patients with hemoglobinopathies is around 1.400, including 697 with beta-thalassemia major, 104 with beta-thalassemia intermedia, while the trend is increasing due to intensifying immigration flows from countries where the disease is endemic, he said on Thursday the Minister of Health, Michalis Damianos.
In his opening address, at a press conference at the Ministry of Health, on the occasion of World Thalassemia Day, Mr. Damianos said that hemoglobinopathies are a group of genetic hereditary diseases, characterized by reduced production of hemoglobin, as a result of which they cause a severe form of anemia.
As he said "they also include thalassemia, a disease with a high prevalence in our country as well as in other Mediterranean populations, and not only", to add that "at the moment, it is estimated that almost 7% of the world's population , are carriers of abnormal hemoglobin genes, responsible for clinically severe forms of thalassemia, sickle cell disease and other types of hemoglobinopathies."
"In Cyprus, the estimated number of patients with hemoglobinopathies is about 1.400, including 697 with beta-thalassemia major, 104 with beta-thalassemia intermedia, while the trend is increasing due to intensifying immigration flows from countries where the disease is endemic," he said Mr. Damianos, who added that Cyprus "has pioneered since the 70s, together with Greece and Italy, in the control and treatment of thalassemia when Cypriot parents and patients, assisted by several dedicated scientists, the church and the state collectively claimed solutions against the spread of a disease which was then costing the lives of countless of our fellow human beings".
According to the Minister of Health "this unprecedented and exemplary in time joining forces of many agencies and partners to achieve a common goal, and with the World Health Organization as a valuable ally, gradually bore fruit and made Cyprus a global flagship of prevention and clinical treatment of thalassemia for many decades", to note that "it is indicative that the Thalassemia Center was designated in 1986 as an official cooperating reference center of the World Health Organization for its offer and expertise in the field".
He also stated that the National Thalassemia Treatment Program that was implemented in those years and is still valid today is based on the axes of information, prevention, treatment, as well as research to ensure a more holistic management of the disease.
However, he added that "despite the successes of the past - which led to Cyprus today having the longest life expectancy internationally for people living with the disease and one of the highest performances in the social integration of patients - it had not been developed until recently a well-documented strategy for the control and management of thalassemia", to note that "the need for such a Strategy has become increasingly imperative in recent years due to the major developments in the scientific data of the disease and the diversification of needs of the sufferers, the new environment created by the national NHS reform, and the growing challenges and threats to public health that require targeted preparedness and response efforts from the state, since they affect and concern, first and foremost, the vulnerable groups of the population especially people with chronic diseases".
Mr. Damianos also said that "recognizing these new data and in his effort to constantly upgrade the services provided to people with thalassemia, the Ministry of Health proceeded to establish the National Thalassemia Committee, with the main mission of forming and implementing the National Strategy for Thalassemia and other Hemoglobinopathies".
"Thanks to the work of the National Committee", he added, "there is now a structured framework of methodology and action for the control and treatment of thalassemia through the partnership of scientists from the medical and university community, organized groups of patients, ministerial services and special experts ».
In addition, he stated that in the framework of the National Strategy, detailed suggestions and recommendations are made to the competent authorities and actions are promoted, protocols and procedures are adopted, with the aim of ensuring and further upgrading the quality of life of people with thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies, especially those suffering from sickle cell anemia.
He went on to say that "while we now have even more safeguards and weapons to maintain the lead as a global benchmark in tackling thalassemia, vigilance and vigilance are required so that the National Strategy is effectively implemented and continuously strengthened, leveraging the various policies and the tools that the EU provides us", to note that the Ministry of Health is also launching the signing of a memorandum of cooperation with the International Thalassemia Federation with the aim of further strengthening our cooperation regarding this important issue.
Source: KYPE
