World Thalassemia Day was observed on 8th May, 2021 to spread awareness about this inheritable blood disease.

Thalassemia is a blood disorder characterized by abnormal form of hemoglobin, a blood protein whose function is to carry oxygen to the tissues.

It is a inheritable disease, means it is transfered from the parents to the children if either of the parents is affected.

According to Thalassaemia Federation of Pakistan, there are more than 50,000 thalassaemia patients registered with associations and treatment centers all over the country.

Types

 

Hemoglobin protein has got two types of chains,

Alpha chain : whose deficiency results in Alpha Thalassemia.

Beta chain : whose deficiency results in Beta Thalassemia.

Thalassemia major results from complete absence of either of two chains, and in Thalassemia minor there is decreased production of one of them.

Symptoms

Growth Failure

Abnormal Bones

Shortness of Breath

Yellow Skin

Investigations

A complete blood count shows small , abnormal shaped red blood cells.

Treatment

Thalassemia major requires frequent blood transfusions

While Thalassemia minor doesn't require any treatment.

Complications

They include Heart and liver problems like Heart Failure & Hepatitis C. Iron overload commonly occurs due to frequent blood transfusions.

Prevention

A simple blood test called Hemoglobin electrophoresis can detect this abnormal form of hemoglobin. It should be done by both of the partners who intend to marry. If any one of them is detected to be having Thalassemia, genetic counseling should be availed from a health care professional to prevent the transmission of Thalassemia to their future offsprings.

What you can do:

We can help them by donating blood. Donating blood at least once a year won't harm you & will also make their life easy.

 

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This year Masjid Al Haram is seeing much more number of worshippers, due to careful planning and following of SOP's, than last year. The media cell of the Holy Mosque has put up a very beautiful timelapse of the worshippers exiting the mosque.

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India has been going through horrible times amid the second wave of coronavirus. It has reported the world's highest number of cases in 24 hours, i.e., 360,000. The death toll has risen to around 2600 in a day. Some say that the real numbers are much higher than this. Hospital beds are fully occupied, oxygen availability is almost zero, patients are lying in the corridors waiting to be seen by doctors.

This terrible situation is attributed to Indians dropping the guard, attending festivals and the deadly mutated Indian version of coronavirus.

 

A BBC article quotes the situation as India Covid surge: Hospitals send SOS as record deaths registered.

 

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Every year Earth Day is observed on 22nd April to create awareness about the protection of environment. First was held on April 22, 1970. This year theme is 'Restore Our Earth'.

As human population has increased, the damage to the environment has increased manifold. Over the past 100 years, the temperature of the Earth has increased by 1° Celsius. And this one degree has brought a lot of storms, heat waves, floods and droughts. As a result of which all of the living beings, including plants and animals, have suffered. Many animals are on the brink of extinction because of the loss of habitat and poaching. Plastic in the form of micro crystals has reached the Arctic. We have reached a point where if we don't take action, the damage will become irreversible.

 

Google has put up a really nice doodle, highlighting how everyone can plant the seed to a brighter future—one sapling at a time.

 

Also there is an inspirational story of an Indonesian man, who alone planted 11,000 banyan trees over a period of 24 years on barren 617 acres. This helped retain water underground and lead to the revitalization of water sources, prevent soil erosion and increased crop production.

 

 

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BBC has put up really nice short 2 minute video, explaining the three covid vaccines Pfizer, Oxford and Moderna. They compared them in terms of effectiveness, price, how do they work, storage and transport. The video can be found at this link > Covid vaccine differences? Pfizer v Oxford v Moderna

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The new variant of Covid-19, which started spreading in UK during the past few weeks, has arrived in Pakistan. Sindh Health Department took samples of 12 UK returnees, out of which 6 came out to be positive. Three of them had the new variant of Covid-19. Health Department is tracing contacts of these patients and they are being isolated.

The new strain is 50% more transmissible than the strain, which caused the pandemic and took around 1.78 million lives. This means that we have to be more careful now. Till the vaccines become readily available in Pakistan, people should be even more diligent about preventive measures, i.e., avoiding large gatherings, wearing masks, physical distancing and washing hands.

More details of Preventive Measures can be found at Center of Disease Control website.

Source: Dawn News, Geo News

 

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Blogging for almost 15 years, today I announce my new domain www.drahsan.com. Initially, I blogged at mutanthuman.blogspot.com, then bought www.doctorahsan.net in March, 2010. 

 

Now, when I was about renew it, I found that drahsan.com was available, so immediately purchased it, as it is .com and easy to remember & type.

I haven't posted regularly in the past few months but this domain has given me some energy to make some editing to the  template and start writing. Hoping that you will enjoy it.

 

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