Due to the high inbreeding among Emiratis rate - it reached 51% of the total marriages - are found in the country's high rate of single-gene genetic diseases in infants, according to a researcher and a large hereditary. The prevention and treatment of the issues discussed at the First International Congress of Genetics, which opened yesterday at the Shangri-La Hotel genetic disorders.
Dr. Ahmed Khamis Al Mutawa delegate Vice President of the UAE University for Planning Affairs opened the event, which lasts for three days. Conference will be held under the theme "Genetics: a global challenge and a regional focus," will discuss the progress in community and preventive genetics.
In the opening speech, Dr. Youssef Mohammed Abdul Razak, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in the United Arab Emirates University and Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Foundation Sheikh Hamdan welcomed the participants in the conference, which is held under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of the United Arab Emirates University, saying: "The United Arab Emirates has taken great strides in the field of health care in the past two decades, and as a result improve prenatal care and decreased infant mortality rate to 8.4 per 1000 live births in 2000, a rate similar to that found in developed countries." On the other hand, Dr. Abdul Razzaq said that resulting from genetic diseases mortality rate has increased dramatically since come to represent 75% of neonatal deaths compared to what it was a decade ago, where it was only 30%. "He also said that congenital birth defects rate in The United Arab Emirates has reached about 22 per 1,000 live births, according to his opinion, which is less than the real number dramatically as many birth defects discovered after birth for a long period.
Dr Abdul Razak said: "We are seeing here in the United Arab Emirates high proportion of single-gene genetic diseases, which explains the high rate of physical chromosomal disorders recessive. This has to do with a rise of marriage between relatives, where the rate of about 51% of marriages that take place between citizens of the United Arab Emirates. "
Dr Abdul Razak said that the UAE has paid special attention to the prevention and treatment of genetic diseases, knew genetics is one of seven priority research topics in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University.
Added Dr Abdul Razak said: "The record evidence that all children with these disorders in congenital malformations of the population registry in the UAE Ministry of Health, which gives us an excellent idea of the situation prevailing in the country genetic disorders."
He said that with the genetic group in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, its own record for the eye area. The genetics group is also a member of the International Organization Klering House to monitor birth defects, an international organization of all undiscovered genetic diseases in member countries. He said that Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, which established the Centre for Arab Genomic Studies is the main sponsor of the International Conference of genetic science, which will serve as a forum for the exchange of knowledge and experience.
Attend the conference 350 participants from 30 different countries, and are throwing 52 lecture and presentation by many of the leading researchers in the field of genetics and genetic diseases.