Context: Union Finance Minister recently announced the Central Government’s plan to launch a mission to eliminate sickle cell anemia by 2047.

About Sickle cell anemia

• It is an inherited blood disorder.

• It affects hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells throughout the body. 

• People with this disease have atypical hemoglobin molecules called hemoglobin S, which can distort red blood cells into a sickle, or crescent, shape.

• These sickle cells also become rigid and sticky, which can slow or block blood flow.

What causes it?

• The cause of Sickle cell disease is a defective gene, called a sickle cell gene.

• A person will be born with sickle cell disease only if two genes are inherited—one from the mother and one from the father.

Symptoms

• Early stage: Extreme tiredness or fussiness from anemia, painfully swollen hands and feet, and jaundice.

• Later stage: Severe pain, anemia, organ damage, and infections.

Treatments

• The only cure for this disease is bone marrow or stem cell transplantation.

• However, there are treatments that can help relieve symptoms, lessen complications, and prolong life.

Sickle Cell Anaemia prevalence in Tribal Population

• According to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, sickle-cell anaemia is widespread among the tribal population in India where about 1 in 86 births among STs have Sickle Cell Anaemia.

• There are approximately 200 districts in the country where the disease is prevalent, mostly in Maharashtra. Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha.

• In 2020, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched the Sickle Cell Disease Support Corner to bridge the gap between patients and health care services in tribal areas. 

How is the Government of India planning to tackle Sickle Cell Anaemia in Tribal population?

• The Government of India is planning to launch a mission to eliminate sickle cell disease by 2047. 

• The mission will entail awareness, creation and universal screening of seven crore tribal people in the age group of 0 to 40 years in tribal areas and counselling through effective measures of ministries and state government.

• The screening programme will be done in approximately 200 districts. The screening will be done through point tests.

• Both men and women will be tested and if both are found positive, adequate counselling will be given to them, including the fact that they should not indulge in matrimony with each other as their children could also be seen carrying the same disease. The colour-coded card will help identify this.

• The funds for the mission will be disbursed through the National Health Mission, and states will receive 60% of the funds from the central government and 40% from state contributions.