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•   An estimated 7% of the global population is a carrier of an abnormal, or pathological, haemoglobin gene
•   Some 300,000 – 500,000 children with a severe haemoglobin disorder are born each year
•   80% of them are born in middle- and low-income countries
•   70% of them have sickle cell disease and 30% thalassaemia
•   50,000–100,000 children with beta-thalassaemia major die each year in middle- and low-income countries (World Bank 2006, report of a joint WHO-March of Dimes meeting)
•   A carrier of a pathological haemoglobin gene is a healthy person with no medical problems
•   A patient with beta-thalassaemia major requires life-long treatment, including regular blood transfusion and continuous iron chelation (removing excess iron from the body)
•   At least 15 million blood units are needed every year to keep alive 500,000 patients with beta-thalassaemia major