IT is heartening to see that the Health Ministry is going all out to reduce and, hopefully, eradicate the incidence of thalassaemia major in the country (”Thalassaemia testing for students” — NST, May 29).

Thalassaemia is a genetic blood disorder.

Besides the prohibitive financial cost of treating sufferers of thalassaemia major, the emotional trauma that the sufferers and their families have to bear is heartbreaking.

I once had to comfort a woman who broke down when relating what her thalassaemia major grandson went through before succumbing to the disease at 18.

I only found out that I am a carrier (thalassaemia minor) by accident when I took a blood test. Fortunately, my spouse is not a carrier.

The ministry’s efforts should be given full support and we ourselves must be proactive about it.

Couples planning to marry must have their blood tested, and if both are found to be thalassaemia minors, they will have to think seriously about having children because the probability of having children with thalassaemia will be high.

Years ago, I was given a T-shirt by the Thalassaemia Association of Malacca, which had these words on it: “Break the grip of thalassaemia on children”.

Through education, support for government efforts by the public and personal sacrifice, I believe we can do that.

So let us play our part to help the ministry achieve its target of zero thalassaemia patients by 2025.

TAM YONG YUEE, Muar

Source: NST – June 2, 2008