Around two thousand births with thalassaemia have been prevented in Cyprus over the last 40 years, through the prevention program implemented in the country by the Population Screening Laboratory for Thalassaemia.
The introduction of the prenatal examination helped reduce the thalassemia births. In the last 14 years only 51 children were born with this inherited blood disorder, compared to 414 children that could have been born without specific prenatal testing.
A press conference took place on Friday on the occasion of the 40 years of operation of the Thalassemia Center, which tests over 10,000 people annually to determine whether they are carriers of Thalassemia and advise them depending on the result.
In Cyprus there are currently 620 people with thalassemia.
The Thalassemia Clinic in Nicosia monitors 560 people, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
Blood transfusions reach 40 every day.