The first five years of a preventive programme for haemoglobinopathies in Northeastern Iraq.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a preventive programme for haemoglobinopathies in a single centre in Northeastern Iraq.

Methods: Premarital screening, genetic counselling and prenatal diagnosis (PND) were implemented over a 5 year period.

Results: Among a total of 108,264 screened individuals (54,132 couples), β-thalassaemia trait, δβ-thalassaemia trait, and sickle cell trait were diagnosed in 3.