THALASSEMIA IN VANUATU, SOUTH-WEST PACIFIC - FREQUENCY AND HEMATOLOGICAL PHENOTYPES OF YOUNG-CHILDREN

The archipelago of Vanuatu situated in the South-West Pacific has a hi gh frequency of alpha(+) thalassaemia and additionally on some of the islands there is a high frequency of beta thalassaemia. As part of a l arge cohort study to investigate the clinical effect of thalassaemia o n malaria on the islands of Espiritu Santo and Maewo in Vanuatu, the g ene frequencies of the thalassaemias were determined and blood counts were performed on a cohort of infants from birth to 3 years. The haema tological phenotypes of the different thalassaemic genotypes are compa red, providing a detailed description of the clinical manifestations o f alpha(+) thalassaemia during early development. In addition, cross-s ectional surveys of the population of the two islands were performed t o establish the frequency of thalassaemia and other red cell polymorph isms and their geographical distribution.