The event, held under the theme ‘Access for All’, was held at Latri Kunda Upper Basic School ground.
At the event, Vandy Jayah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Foundation, said the main focus of World Haemophilia Day is to raise awareness about Haemophilia.
Jayah explained that Haemophilia is genetic bleeding disorder in which the blood clot gets reduced, causing the patient to bleed heavily even in minor wounds.
According to him, records by the World Federation of Haemophilia revealed that one in every thousand persons, suffers from Haemophilia and 80 percent of victim’s world- wide remain untreated.
“The two main types of Haemophilia are Haemophilia A and Haemophilia B. Haemophilia A, which is more common happens when there isn’t enough factor VIII. Haemophilia B is when there is too little factor IX. Haemophilia can be mild, moderate, or severe, based on the amount of the clotting factor in the blood. The lower the level of the clotting factor, the more likely the person is to have bleeding.”
CEO Jayah reminded that haemophilia is usually an inherited disease i.e passed from parent to child, adding that it mostly affects boys.
“But girls and women can be haemophilia carriers with mild haemophilia A. They may have mild bleeding symptoms and can pass the gene to their children. We know there are many with haemophilia in small towns and villages who have not heard about haemophilia disease and have consequently not been diagnosed in terms of the symptoms they show.”
He indicated that their mission this year is to reach out to every Gambian that may need their attention and support.
“We will get to the farthest human settlements to equal opportunity for every Gambian that present potential symptoms of haemophilia. We also want to use this opportunity to call on Government support, non- governmental organisations and line ministries to support our mission and The Gambia better for all victims of haemophilia.”
