Over 500 volunteers join the effort as group seeks to strengthen community partnerships while expanding free screenings and treatment plans in the country

Dubai, May 23, 2010: UAE Genetic Disease Association (UAEGDA), the sole non-profit genetic organization in the UAE, has begun a month-long screening campaign to bring attention to the presence of thalassemia in the UAE following the commemoration of World Thalassemia Day earlier this month.  According to the Genetic and Thalassemia Centre in Dubai, one in 12 persons in the UAE is said to be a carrier of the disease.

The latest UAEGDA campaign is touring locations throughout the UAE with over 500 volunteers from various institutions assisting in the effort.  Participants are working under the mission of educating the population about common genetic disorders (such as Thalassemia, Sickle Cell Anemia, G6PD Deficiency & Diabetes) and informing them about the free screening and counselling services provided by the UAEGDA.  Different venues will be targeted throughout the month of May including Deira City Centre, 11 different Emarat and ADNOC fuel stations across the UAE, and various colleges and corporate houses. 

Nearly 5,000 individuals were tested for the disease in the last year, according to UAEGDA officials, and an expansion of the group’s capacity has attracted partners throughout the country, including groups like the UAE Marriage Fund—a partner in UAEGDA’s current campaign.

The benefits of screening tests lay not only on an early detection of the disorder, but also preventing the birth of children born with thalassemia major.  As in the case of all hereditary recessive diseases, there is a 25 per cent chance for the child of thalassemia-carrier parents to become affected, another 50 per cent chance of which will be carriers, while the rest go on seemingly unaffected. 

“Thalassemia is a major public health issue in the UAE, which affects so many families at social, medical, financial and psychological levels,” says Dr. Maryam Matar, Founder & Chairman of UAEGDA.  “Blood screenings campaigns in general are the best way to help reduce the presence of hereditary diseases in the country.  Certain diseases like thalassemia and diabetes have especially high prevalence in the UAE, and this is the first step in identifying a problem that could extend for generations to come.”

A great deal of scientific data has in fact been documented to show trends of selected genetic disorders in UAE communities, and it is the mission of UAEGDA to make the country free from births of children born with thalassemia by 2012.

Dubai, January 30, 2010: UAE Genetic Disease Association (UAEGDA), the sole non-profit genetics organization in the UAE, has concluded a fruitful week of discussions with regional and international bodies during the group’s first appearance at Arab Health Congress earlier this week.  As a first-time exhibitor, UAEGDA says that the experience has proven extraordinarily valuable and that the Health Authority of Dubai has played a tremendous role in raising local awareness of battling genetic diseases in the country.

Listed under Dubai’s Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, UAEGDA strives to reduce the prevalence and impact of common genetic disorders through sponsoring nation-wide education and screening campaigns. 

During the week-long congress, UAEGDA connected with other GCC organizations to identify methods in which regional entities from the public, private and non-profit sectors can align business interests and public policy to advance screening campaigns in the upcoming year.  “Regional coordination is extremely important for an organization like ours because of the high number of expatriate populations in UAE,” comments H.E. Dr. Maryam Matar, Executive Director of UAEGDA.  “Arab Health is an ideal platform for us to communicate our message to GCC healthcare professionals and likeminded groups from around the globe.”

This year’s Arab Health Congress included 17 internationally-accredited conferences addressed by nearly 400 acclaimed speakers from around the globe.  With an estimated value of around $80 billion per year, preventative medicine and routine screenings have been hot topics within the Middle East healthcare market.