A daylong thalassemia awareness workshop and seminar was held at Dhaka College auditorium on Sunday to inform students about prevention, carrier identification and the importance of blood tests before marriage. The programme was organized by the Bangladesh Thalassemia Patients and Parents Welfare Association. Dhaka College Principal Professor A K M Ilyas attended as chief guest, while association president and founder Kamrun Nahar Mukul chaired the seminar.

Mukul said Bangladesh has about 20 million thalassemia carriers and more than 70,000 patients. She said marriages between two carriers can result in children with thalassemia, and described the disease as spreading rapidly in the country. Professor Dr Md Belayet Hossain, an association adviser and head of Hematology and Oncology at Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, presented the keynote paper.

Hossain described thalassemia as an inherited blood disorder and said identifying carriers through pre-marital blood tests and avoiding carrier-to-carrier marriages are among the most effective preventive measures. Organizers said carriers often show few or no symptoms, making testing essential. The event also included college officials, association representatives and NCC Bank officials.