The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will start screening pregnant mothers and newborns to identify and look for rare diseases.
Atin Ghosh, the deputy mayor of Kolkata and the head of KMC’s health department, announced the initiative on Saturday.
“We will start the screening very soon. The screening will be done in 10 ward health clinics,” said Ghosh.
According to him, Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) health workers will be given a questionnaire so they can screen the target population in the remaining 134 ward health clinics.
“In public health, early diagnosis and early onset of treatment is very necessary. There is still very little awareness about rare diseases but we want to change that,” Ghosh added.
The screening will be done in association with the Organisation of Rare Diseases India and Rare Warriors of Bengal Association.
Ghosh said he had organised two such screening camps earlier. One was in Ward 11 (Hatibagan area) from where Ghosh is a councillor. The other was in Cossipore. He is also the MLA of Cossipore-Belgachia.
“Three hundred children were screened in Cossipore and 35 were found with possibilities of rare diseases. In Ward 11, twelve children were found with possibilities of rare diseases,” he said.
Ghosh said there were not enough genetic counsellors, whose role is very important for identifying and taking forward the treatment of children suffering from rare diseases.
Dipanjana Dutta, a genetic counsellor and the state coordinator of ORDI, said the screening was based on detailed questioning of the mothers or parents. “The questions include if any of their previous child had any rare disease or if there is someone in the family with a rare disease.”