IRANIAN NATIONAL THALASSAEMIA SCREENING PROGRAMME

Progress in controlling communicable diseases increases the relative importance of noncommunicable diseases, including genetic disorders. In Iran, the development of primary health-care over the past 20 years has greatly reduced infant mortality and crude birth rate. Accordingly, in 1991 prevention of noncommunicable diseases was added to the primary health-care programme, and a department for the control of noncommunicable disease, including a genetics office, was established within the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Βeta-thalassaemia, which is an important health problem in Iran, was chosen to test the feasibility of preventing noncommunicable disease in primary care. We describe how the programme has been implemented.