Tibet
Fights Against Kaschin-beck Disease
(10/17/2001)
The central government will allocate 20 million yuan to help fight
a debilitating bone disease that plagues many residents of Qamdo Prefecture
of southwest China 's Tibet Autonomous Region.
Some 8.6 million yuan will be used for treating people in Banbar,
Lhorong and Baxoi counties diagnosed with Kaschin-Beck, which causes
enlargement of joints and leads to limb deformity.
The remaining sum will go to pilot regions in another eight counties
in the prefecture.
Qamdo is a region with high incidence of Kaschin-Beck disease.
Two-thirds of residents in Qamdo suffer from the disease, which
currently has no effective treatment.
The regional government has sent a medical team to study the problem
in Qamdo and worked out a plan for comprehensive treatment of the
disease. Doctors are following up on progress of 2,000 Kaschin-Beck
patients ranging in age from 7 to 12.
The cause of the disease remains unknown. Some experts hold that
certain kind of fungus contained in highland barley, a staple food
on the plateau, and low iodine intake may be contributing factors.
(People's Dail)
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