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More than 1 crore people have been screened for sickle cell disease under the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, an official statement issued on Tuesday said.
"A significant milestone has been crossed by the Health Ministry," the statement said, adding that the mission endeavours to screen 7 crore people in 3 years. Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disease that affects the whole life of the affected patient. It is more common in the tribal population of India but occurs in non-tribals too. The National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 1, 2023, in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh. The programme is being carried out in a mission mode for screening, prevention, and management of sickle cell anaemia in all tribal and other highly prevalent areas of the States and Union Territories of India. The focus is on 278 districts of 17 states with a higher prevalence of SCD, viz., Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar and Uttarakhand. (ANI)
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