Amu: More than 5,300 children in Afghanistan are currently living with thalassemia, a life-threatening inherited blood disorder, the Taliban’s deputy minister of public health said Thursday at a public health event in Kabul. Thalassemia is a genetic disorder that affects the body’s ability to produce hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. Children born with severe forms of the disease often require lifelong blood transfusions and specialized care. Without proper treatment, thalassemia can lead to serious complications, including organ damage and early death. The condition is more prevalent in parts of South Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Click here to read more (external link).