Thalassemia Patients Friends Association Commemorates World Solidarity Day under the Slogan "We Reveal, We Protect, We Support"

SadaNews - The Thalassemia Patients Friends Association – Palestine commemorates World Thalassemia Day, which falls on the 8th of May each year, by implementing dozens of awareness activities and community meetings that highlight partnerships with official and civil institutions and the local community, drawing the citizens' attention to the dangers of this disease and ways to prevent it.

These activities, according to a statement from the association, come in light of the challenges witnessed in the past five years, during which about 22 new cases have been registered in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and 103 patients have lost their lives during the same period, including 48 patients due to the repercussions of the war. This confirms the importance of continued community support and the development of health services provided to thalassemia patients.

The association clarified that its campaign this year will be directed at all segments of Palestinian society with the aim of increasing awareness of the disease, encouraging medical testing before marriage, and enhancing support for thalassemia patients, under the slogan "We Reveal, We Protect, We Support".

Recent data revealed that there are about 854 thalassemia patients in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with alarming indicators about the rise in new cases, particularly due to weak adherence to pre-marital medical testing.

Statistics indicate that Palestine recorded the lowest rates of births of infected persons in 2013, but these indicators later declined, with between 7 to 9 new cases being registered annually, amid gaps in community awareness and weak adherence to early testing procedures and patient diagnosis and registration systems.

Patients are facing increasing difficulties in regularly accessing blood transfusion services and iron-chelating medications, especially in the Gaza Strip and marginalized areas, amid ongoing health and humanitarian crises resulting from aggression and blockade.

The age structure of the patients also reflects future challenges, with a limited number of individuals over the age of forty, indicating a gap in the continuity of long-term care and weak follow-up on disease complications, as more than 60 patients have died over the past two years.

Experts confirm that thalassemia is no longer receiving sufficient priority within the health agenda, necessitating urgent action to re-emphasize the importance of prevention and comprehensive care.

They called for an urgent national and international response that includes enhancing community awareness of the importance of pre-marital medical testing, activating its legal obligation and linking it to a unified national database, limiting the issuance of test reports to the Ministry of Health, and preventing the conclusion of marriage contracts that violate the approved procedures.

They also stressed the necessity of ensuring the sustainable provision of safe blood and essential medications, improving diagnostic and medical follow-up services, expanding access to them, alongside psychosocial support for patients and empowering them to continue their education and work.

They demanded to enhance regular blood donation campaigns and facilitate patient access to treatment centers, urging health and international organizations to prioritize thalassemia patients and hemoglobinopathies within health and humanitarian support, to ensure the continuity of life-saving services.

They confirmed that early diagnosis, safe treatment, and continuous follow-up could contribute to improving patients' quality of life and reducing new births.