Every year on May 8th, International Thalassaemia Day commemorates Thalassaemia patients who are no longer with us. It’s also a day to celebrate the patients that are alive and fighting for a better quality of life.
Thalassaemia is a genetic hemoglobin disorder. Hemoglobin is the iron-rich protein found in red blood cells. The function of hemoglobin is to transport oxygen to the blood. A person with Thalassaemia has less than normal amounts of hemoglobin. This can make life very difficult, as it usually requires multiple blood transfusions. Some people with the disease need a blood transfusion every two weeks.
According to the latest statistics, around 280 million people throughout the world have Thalassaemia. About 439,000 have a severe form of the disease.
Every year the Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF) comes up with various activities that spread awareness for Thalassaemia. The goal for these activities is to fuel discussions centering around the theme for the year.
The president and founder of TIF, Panos Englezos, established International Thalassaemia Day in 1994. He created the day in memory of his son, George, who lost his life to Thalassaemia.
The theme for 2021 World Thalassemia Day is “Addressing Health Inequalities Across the Global Thalassaemia Community”.
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