(a) Thalassemia is a genetic disorder that is characterized by reduced synthesis of either the α or β-chains, likewise designated as α or β thalassaemias. β-Thalassemia is also called as Cooley's anaemia or thalassemia major. The reduced synthesis of β chains leads to the accumulation of a chains, which causes damage to the precursors of red blood corpuscles in the bone marrow. Persons homozygous for the β-thalassemia gene suffer from severe haemolytic anaemia. Heterozygous person are also not normal but show the defect in a less severe form, called thalassemia minor.
(b) Counselling can encourage the family to understand that only mother is not responsible for any disease found in baby. Mother is not responsible for delivering a sick baby unless father is not contributing allele for the disease. If mother is carrier and father is normal then the child born would be normal. But if father is diseased or carrier and mother is either carrier or normal, only then transmission of disease is possible resulting in the birth of a thalassaemic baby. Thus, mother only is not to be blamed for giving birth of a thalassemic baby, its father is equally responsible for this.
(c) Concern, awareness and compassion. This will help to upgrade the condition of women in such orthodox families and so to say in the society.
