Maharashtra Launches Sickle Cell Screening Drive

The Maharashtra government is starting a special health campaign called 'Arunoday' to check for a disease called sickle cell anaemia.

This disease makes red blood cells change shape and can cause problems.

The campaign will run from January 15 to February 27 in 21 districts where many people have this disease.

The goal is to screen as many people as possible, especially in areas with many tribal communities.

Over 1 crore people have been screened since 2019, and they found 12,420 patients and 1,24,275 carriers.

The government advises people to get tested before marriage to avoid passing the disease to children.