Healthy China Tour Reaches Its 8th Stop in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan: Promoting Thalassemia Prevention and Shared Health

Healthy China Tour Reaches Its 8th Stop in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan: Promoting Thalassemia Prevention and Shared Health

In the winter of 2023, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation and Xishuangbanna made a shared commitment to unite in the fight against thalassemia. A year later, the Foundation returned to this beautiful region to honor that promise.

From December 21 to 22, the Healthy China Tour made its stop in Xishuangbanna. The event brought together blood disease experts from Shenzhen Children's Hospital, who traveled to Jinghong City, Menghai County, and Mengla County. They conducted free medical consultations and engaged in meaningful discussions with local healthcare providers to enhance the thalassemia diagnosis and treatment capabilities of regional hospitals.

Building Love for Thalassemia, Empowering Yunnan

Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder caused by mutations or deletions in the genes responsible for producing hemoglobin. Listed by the World Health Organization as one of the six most common genetic diseases impacting human health, it poses a significant threat to patients' lives and quality of life, while placing a heavy emotional and financial burden on families and society.

Globally, approximately 345 million people are carriers of the thalassemia gene, with around 30 million carriers in China. Due to factors such as latitude, geography, and ethnicity, Yunnan is one of China's top ten regions with the highest incidence of thalassemia. The carrier rate of thalassemia is notably high, especially in the southwestern part of the province and among local ethnic minorities.

In 2018, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation launched the Building Love for Thalassemia Action project, focusing on addressing this genetic disease, particularly among impoverished children suffering from severe cases. The initiative aims to achieve a "zero thalassemia" goal in China through a comprehensive approach of "assistance + prevention and treatment."

Since its launching, the project has established a relief center in Yunnan, one of the highest-incidence areas for thalassemia. The Foundation has collaborated with prominent medical institutions, such as Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Dongguan Taixin Hospital, the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, the 920th Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force of the People's Liberation Army, and Kunming Children's Hospital, to provide ongoing support and treatment for thalassemia patients across the province.

A Warm Promise in the Winter of Xishuangbanna

Building on years of continuous support for children with thalassemia, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation officially launched the Healthy China Tour in 2023. This initiative brings leading experts to regions with high rates of thalassemia to offer free consultations and screenings, raising awareness about the disease. In addition, the program collaborates with health authorities and top hospitals to provide training for local medical staff on thalassemia prevention and control. The goal is to systematically enhance the expertise of grassroots healthcare providers, improve diagnosis and treatment capabilities, and support government efforts to implement comprehensive thalassemia prevention strategies.

Located on the border, Xishuangbanna presents challenges for families seeking medical care, as travel costs for treatment are high. To ensure local children receive timely diagnoses and treatments, and to support the local government in strengthening thalassemia management, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation signed a partnership agreement on November 7, 2023, with the Xishuangbanna Health Commission, Shenzhen BGI Genomics, and Shenzhen Children’s Hospital. This collaboration focuses on actively supporting local thalassemia patients and enhancing the region’s overall thalassemia care capacity.

Since the signing of the agreement, the Foundation has funded 16 children from Xishuangbanna for hematopoietic stem cell transplants, totaling 490,000 RMB in financial support.

Recently, the Foundation returned to Xishuangbanna for the second time as part of the Healthy China Tour. This marks the eighth stop of the series, with medical experts traveling to Jinghong, Menghai, and Mengla counties to conduct free consultations, fulfilling their commitment to bringing warmth during the winter months.

This event was co-organized by the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture Health Commission, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation, and the Beijing Charity Foundation. The Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Menghai County Maternal and Child Health Hospital, and Mengla County Maternal and Child Health Hospital served as the hosts, with support from Shenzhen Children’s Hospital.

Expert Consultations: Providing Comprehensive Care for Thalassemia Patients

At 9:00 AM on December 21, the Healthy China Tour thalassemia consultation event began at the Xishuangbanna Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital. A team of specialists from the Hematology and Oncology Department of Shenzhen Children's Hospital delivered professional, thorough medical services to thalassemia patients.

In the afternoon, the expert team continued their mission at the Menghai County Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, where they held another thalassemia consultation.

The next day, on December 22, the team visited Mengla County Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital in Xishuangbanna for a final round of thalassemia consultations.

With the guidance of medical staff and volunteers, over 200 children with thalassemia and their families participated in these three consultation sessions. The experts from Shenzhen Children's Hospital carefully examined each patient, gathering detailed information about their symptoms and medical history, conducting physical assessments, reviewing medical records and test results, and offering personalized treatment plans based on their individual needs.

Throughout the event, experts from the Shenzhen Children's Hospital engaged in meaningful exchanges with doctors from the Xishuangbanna Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Menghai County Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, and Mengla County Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, enhancing the local hospitals' abilities to diagnose and treat thalassemia.

Moreover, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation continues its efforts to assist local thalassemia patients from Xishuangbanna. For those eligible under the Building Love for Thalassemia Action project, the Foundation will follow up on their treatment progress and provide financial support for stem cell transplants and post-operative care.

Progressing Towards Zero Thalassemia

The ultimate goal of the Building Love for Thalassemia Action project has always been to advance the prevention and eventual elimination of thalassemia. As one of the earliest public welfare organizations in China to assist children affected by this condition, Beijing Jingyan Foundation has consistently embraced a dual approach of "relief + prevention and treatment." Through this initiative, the Foundation offers vital support to critically ill thalassemia children, including funding bone marrow transplants and providing post-transplant rejection treatments. Additionally, the Foundation works to raise awareness of thalassemia in high-incidence areas, assisting local governments in their efforts to prevent and control the disease, all with the ultimate goal of eradicating thalassemia in China.

Over the past six years, the scope of the Building Love for Thalassemia Action project has expanded continuously, with both the number of beneficiaries and financial support increasing steadily. The project has now reached all of China’s provinces with high thalassemia rates, holding more than 115 activities, including thalassemia awareness campaigns and grassroots healthcare provider training sessions. The Foundation has funded over 1,300 severe thalassemia patients for bone marrow transplants and post-transplant rejection treatment, contributing more than 53 million RMB.

In 2023, Beijing Jingyan Foundation launched an upgraded version of the Building Love for Thalassemia Action project, introducing the "Zero Thalassemia Plan." This plan provides financial and technical support to local governments, promoting free thalassemia screening, diagnosis, and medical interventions for individuals of marriageable and reproductive age in high-incidence areas. Xishuangbanna is one of the first regions to pilot the Zero Thalassemia Plan, and the Foundation will continue to actively assist the local government to enhance its thalassemia prevention and treatment capacity.

"Zero Thalassemia" remains the long-term goal of the Building Love for Thalassemia Action project and a focal point of Beijing Jingyan Foundation’s ongoing efforts. We look forward to collaborating with more partners to support families affected by thalassemia, accelerate local government efforts in prevention, and help China achieve the goal of "Zero Thalassemia" as soon as possible.