147 people found infected with sickle cell anemia in three years in Dang

Lamahi, Dang : At least 147 people (81 men, 66 women) have been found infected with sickle cell anemia disease in the past three years, according to the District Public Health Office. The total 74 people were diagnosed with the disease in the fiscal year 2073/074 when the DPHO started keeping data of sickle cell anemia patients. Likewise, 69 people were found infected with the disease in the FY 2074/075, and four so far in the current fiscal year.
The patients are on medication provided for free by the Rapti Academy of Health Sciences (RAHS) on the recommendation of the DPHO, said Prakash Kumar Yogi, DPHO officiating chief. The RAHS provides free medicines worth Rs 100,000 to a patient with the disease on the recommendation of the DPHO.
Sickle cell anemia is a disorder of the blood caused by inherited abnormal hemoglobin. In the disease, the red blood cells become rigid and shaped like crescents or sickles. The disease is rampantly found in a marginalised Tharu community living particularly in the west and east Tarai.
Approximately 15 percent of Tharu population living in Dang district might be suffering from the disease, according to a study conducted one year ago by Dr Rajan Pandey. As per 2068 B.S. census, Dang has a total of 163,334 Tharu population.