Rotary International District 3291 marked World Thalassemia Day on Friday with a string of awareness and screening drives across the city, including camps at Howrah railway station and blood donation programmes at multiple locations.
World Thalassemia Day was observed on 8 May. India records between 10,000 and 15,000 new cases of Thalassemia Major every year, with national carrier rates estimated at 3 to 4 per cent, and as high as 10 per cent in certain parts of West Bengal, according to health department data.
The Lok Sabha speaker said it is only through events like the International Thalassemia Day (ITD) the idea of Thalassemia-free India will be fulfilled.
