Greetings Congratulatory message of Dr Ko Wing Man to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Children's Thalassaemia Foundation

My association with thalassaemia patients started when I was working in the Hospital Authority. Since red cells for transfusion at that time were not routinely depleted of white cells, thalassaemia major patients who required regular transfusion were prone to develop febrile and allergic reactions. Bedside leucocyte filters to remove the white cells were available but had to be self-financed and not affordable by every patient. After receiving advice from clinical experts and from thalassaemia patient groups, the Hospital Authority decided on the provision of universal leucocyte depleted red cells for transfusion in thalassaemia patient, through processing at the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service before storage. It is gratifying for me to learn that the incidence of febrile and allergic reactions has much diminished since then.

For the past 30 years, the Children’s Thalassaemia Foundation works tirelessly to improve the welfare of thalassaemia patients, to promote public awareness of this condition and to fund medical research to find new cures. I am deeply impressed by the dedication, passion and enthusiasm of all the kind people who help the Foundation to pursue its worthy causes. While much progress in thalassaemia care and treatment has been achieved in the past decades, the success of the Foundation needs continual support of patients, their family, medical personnel and community at large.

Thalassaemia is an inherited form of anaemia particularly common in Southern China such as Guangdong province, Guangxi province and Hong Kong. One out of eight persons in the Hong Kong population are thalassaemia trait carriers, who are asymptomatic and healthy individuals. Nevertheless, offspring born to a couple when both partners are thalassaemia carrier runs a one in four chance of being affected by severe thalassaemia. Before planning to have children, remember to perform thalassaemia screening in order for doctors to assess the risk and to prevent severe thalassaemia.