ISLAMABAD: Local and foreign health experts begin a two-day workshop here on Monday on new trends in preventing genetic diseases in children.

Efforts to control infectious diseases in children in the past 50 years seem to have overlooked the genetic problems arising from the peculiar cultures in the developing countries, according to the organisers of the workshop, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University, better known as Pims.

Almost 50 per cent of the children born in Pakistan are susceptible to genetic impairments because of marriages between cousins, or partners of the same caste.

While the infectious small pox, cholera and typhoid diseases could be controlled by revolutionary vaccines and the prodigal use of antibiotics, genetic diseases need a different approach, the organisers says.

Accordingly, the participants of the workshop would develop preventive strategies “keeping in mind social bonds, which are not easily breakable”.

In Pakistan, genetic disorders are higher than the world average because of marriages within family.

The Pims’ symposium-workshop would discuss the latest research on impairment of hearing, vision and cognitive disabilities caused by genetic problems.

Vice Chancellor Pims Dr Javed Akram has disclosed that starting in April, children born in the hospital would be screened for such diseases.

“Blood samples of every newborn baby will be collected to screen for 42 diseases,” he told Dawn.

That would make quick interventions possible if any potential hazard to the child’s health is detected.

“For example, if test confirms that the thyroid gland of a child is not working properly, treatment will start immediately so that the child can live a healthy life,” he said.

Up to 60 children are born at Pims every day.

Dr Akram said cousin and caste marriages have become a major reason of genetic diseases in Pakistan.

“Since no counselling is available to them, people at large are not aware of the consequences of marriages within the family,” he said.

“Thalassemia is a big problem for us but in Greece not a single case of this disease has been reported in the past five years just because of awareness. Our people are to be told that avoiding the problems arising from family marriages is much better than curing them as they bring mental anguish and financial burden both to the family and the society. All that pain can be avoided by a simple test before – even after - the marriage,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2015

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