For over a year now, MSF teams at a hospital in Zahle, Lebanon have been treating Syrian refugee children for thalassemia – a rare genetic blood disorder that can require a demanding treatment.
Thalassemia is a relatively unknown disease caused by an alteration in the genes required to synthesise haemoglobin.
The greater the number of altered genes, the more severe the disease, and the life expectancy of untreated patients can be considerably shortened.
This rare genetic disorder is particularly prevalent in the Mediterranean basin, in countries such as Syria and Lebanon. It’s also found elsewhere in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where access to treatment is further limited by violence and instability.
In severe cases, regular blood transfusions are needed to compensate for the lack of haemoglobin.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare.
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