RIYADH, 1 April 2007 — In cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Saudi Ministry of Health will launch a nationwide campaign to encourage Saudi youths to undergo blood tests before marriage.
In 2004, a royal decree was issued directing Saudis to have pre-marital blood tests. This was an opportunity to quickly and accurately identify carriers of sickle cell anemia and thalassemia. The test results will not necessarily prevent a couple from marrying if one or both of them are affected but they will acquaint the couple with the medical facts of their condition and the possible consequences on their children.
During the past two years, the ministry has tested 48,8315 men and women and 5,860 of them were offered medical consultations for remedial treatment for their abnormalities. During the first year, some 24,1825 were tested and the Health Ministry rejected 9.2 percent, declaring them incompatible partners. During the subsequent year, 11.6 percent of the remaining 24,615 cases were rejected on similar grounds.
According to statistics provided by the ministry, 55.7 percent of those rejected were from the Eastern Province with 18.1 percent from Jizan, 10.8 percent from Ahsa and 5.2 percent from Makkah. The statement revealed that throughout the Kingdom, some 20,530 people have inherited anemia while 15,740 cases have thalessemia inherited from their parents.
“When the man and woman are both carriers, every time the woman is pregnant there is a 25 percent chance the baby will have the disease and a 50 percent chance the child will be a carrier,” according to one expert in the field.
