Telangana: Sickle cell disease continues to haunt tribals of Adilabad

This disturbing trend was discovered when government officials investigated the blood samples of 6.96 lakh tribals from 14 tribal-dominant districts of the State for the third time

Adilabad: A recent investigation of blood samples of tribal people disclosed a disturbing fact that blood disorder, sickle cell disease incidence was alarmingly high among the tribal population in Telangana.

This trend was discovered when government officials investigated the blood samples of 6.96 lakh tribal people from 14 tribal-dominant districts of the State for the third time. A whopping number of 740 tribals from Telangana were diagnosed with the sickle cell, while 5,627 tribals were found to be carriers of the disorder.

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Bhadradri Kothagudem district topped the list with 512 tribals who were diagnosed with sickle cell, followed by Mancherial which registered 99 tribals with the disorder. Adilabad stood in the third spot accounting for 62 patients, while 20 tribals of Kumram Bheem Asifabad were diagnosed with the disorder.

As many as 1,681 tribals were found to be the carriers in Bhadradri Kothagudem, while 1,225 tribals were carriers in Adilabad. Mancherial saw 976 carriers and Mahabubabad district accounted for 375 carriers. A total 375 tribal students in erstwhile Adilabad district were found to be suffering from the disorder in an investigation organised in 2022.

Already, 10,000 tribals were diagnosed with the disorder in the State in the second edition of the screening, according to the officials of Health and Medical Department. In the first ever screening conducted in erstwhile Adilabad in 2015, 2,100 students were diagnosed with sickle cell, while 32 tribals had thalassemia. Patients said that they were struggling to treat the disorder.

Sudhakar, a tribal from Jajulagudem village in Chintalamanepalli, said his son Uday Kiran, studying in Class V, was a patient of the sickle cell. He lamented that he was forced to visit a blood bank run by Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) in Mancherial to transfuse the blood every week.

The patients, mostly daily-wage earners and farmers, said they were unable to spend money considering their weak financial background. They have been demanding a social security pension for quite a long time. A government order was issued providing the pension in 2018. However, the initiative has not materialised so far for reasons unknown.

District Medical and Health Officer Dr Seetharam said awareness was being created among the tribals about the disorder. He stated that they advised the tribals not to get married among carriers. Medical services were being extended to patients, he added.

Blood samples of 6.96 lakh tribal people tested for the third time from 14 tribal-dominant districts in Third edition

• Total tribals diagnosed with sickle cell in Telangana: 740
  Total tribals who were found to be carriers of sickle cell in Telangana: 5,627
• Tribals diagnosed with sickle cell in Bhadradri Kothagudem: 512
  Tribals who were found to be carriers of sickle cell Bhadri Kothagudem: 1,681
• Second edition of the screening 10,000 tribals were diagnosed with the disorder in Telangana
  375 tribals from Adilabad had the disease in 2022
• 2,100 tribal from Adilabad had sickle cell, while 32 had thalassemia in screening held in 2015