On Monday, experts during an international meeting expressed concern about the rising cases of patients affected with a blood disorder called sickle cell anaemia due to lack of awareness about the disease.

The apprehensions regarding sickle cell anaemia were discussed at the six-day 4th International Sickle Cell Congress that is being conducted by the Sickle Cell Disease International Organisation and the Chhattisgarh Government. In the meeting, over 250 experts from India and abroad are participating.

The disease is more prevalent in the rural areas due to the lack of screening facilities there and less awareness. Also, the people living in the interiors of the poor countries are not literate enough to understand the importance of blood tests and also could not afford so, thus, in case of non-diagnosis of the disease, it transmits to their children.

The experts at the convention called for a time-bound strategy that could serve the rural patients making them incapable of transmitting the disease to their offsprings.

The disease is prevalent among 15-18% of the Chhattisgarh's 20.08 million population and it takes life of over 50% children before the age of five. Chhattisgarh’s 18 districts are affected by the disease, but it is depressing in 10 of them. The traces of disease can also be discovered in Maharashtra, Orissa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Andhra Pradesh.