In order to avoid the birth of children with serious genetic disorders such as thalassemia, are encouraging UAE nationals to take a test before marriage to see if they were carrying Thalassemia causative genetic defect or any other genetic disorders. As for married couples who carry these genes with the presence of the pregnancy now have a chance to see if the fetus will grow up to become pregnant with a child Thalassemia or not.
According to a health sector officials, travels each year an average of 70 pairs of the UAE abroad at government expense for prenatal testing to determine if the fetus suffers from thalassemia or not before the third month of pregnancy; If the fetus as well as the parents may choose whether abortion is a solution if they wish. These tests are considered accurate by 99.5%.
Fatwas have allowed the city of Mecca and Al-Azhar University in Egypt, and also from Iran to abort fetuses before reaching the first trimester of pregnancy in cases where the fetus is the holder of a debilitating genetic disease that would cause suffering for him and his family over the life span.
Dr. Mohammad Naveed specialist clinical genetics in genetic research and Thalassemia Center at Al Wasl Hospital and a lecturer at the Dubai Medical College gave a presentation yesterday about Dubai experience in genetic diagnosis prenatal and deployed in the region in the workshop of medical work on genetic diseases in the Arab world, genetic disorders, held in Shangri-La Hotel.
In the context of the modern newspaper Khaleej Times Dr. Naveed said: "The percentage of carriers of the genetic defect that causes beta-thalassemia from the local population had reached 49%. Thalassemia is also common among the expatriate population, with prevalence rates of up in Southeast Asia to 8.3%.
"If both parents carry the genetic defect that causes thalassemia there is a chance of 25% that generates born suffering from thalassemia. And there is a chance of 50% to be born pregnant so a genetic defect, such as parents with a chance of 25% to be completely normal kid.
Dr. said it is not easy to deal with genetic diseases as well as the treatment is not easy but it can prevent them. Awareness alone is a big difference. In the island of Sardinia on the Mediterranean Sea, where he was Thalassemia significantly prevalent at a time, then take the necessary measures where not born one child suffering from thalassemia over the past fifteen years due to increased awareness among the population about inbreeding risks and identify carriers of During the compulsory blood tests and prenatal testing.
Dr. Naveed said that prenatal testing necessary for parents to think carefully, adding that a child born to parents carriers still has a 75% chance that generates a non-infected.
The couple, who can carry the disease to resort to artificial insemination option as a way guaranteed to have a child is infected with thalassemia. The egg is taken from the woman and fertilized by the sperm of the husband, and when the fetus is divided into eight cells extracted cells and a test, and then the sound of embryos implanted in a woman's uterus or stored for the couple until such time as the decide to have a child.
Dr. Naveed said: "As the first genetic test conducted recently by the implantation of a patient in genetic research and Thalassemia Center at Al Wasl Hospital and successfully implant the embryo, has infected mother gave birth to a healthy baby a month before this date."
He said that the aim of the Arab Center for the Studies of genetic - an initiative to award Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, which is expected to be in place and working by the end of next year - is the data to identify other genetic diseases prevalent in the Arab countries in order to prevent these diseases, genetic diseases collection debilitating continue and spread.
Dr. Naveed: "Emirates Thalassemia Society has worked - consisting of children with parents of Thalassemia - a lot of actions to raise awareness about the disease by introducing it as in school curricula and by making the Marriage Fund of the United Arab Emirates offers blood tests before marriage is compulsory and also by spreading awareness in the community. " Dr. Naveed added that it is time for dealing with other genetic diseases in the Arab region, the same zeal.
Addressing yesterday Professor Ahmed Tibi - Professor of Pediatrics and medical genetics at the University of Toronto President of Clinical Genetics Department and the Department of congenital malformations - participants in the workshop presented in a lecture entitled: genetic disease patterns among the Arabs .
Professor began his lecture various migrations trackers to and from the Arabian Peninsula starting Bolha in the year 3500 BC, Valthanih in the year 2500 BC, Vaiih through the emergence and spread of Islam, Valrabah during the Crusades when mingled with Europeans Indigenous Populations , the last of these migrations was in centuries 19 and 20 with the increased activity of international trade, making the Arabs ethnically diverse.
Professor Tibi said that in the Arab countries a high level of inbreeding reached 90% in some communities isolated in Saudi Arabia.
Professor added, saying: "The average Arab family size in terms of number 6 is a family-style cushions on a large scale. Traditionally be inbreeding through the generations for many generations, and we are now seeing an increase in the frequency of recessive chromosomal disorders."