Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed announced that up to 6,297 cases of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) were received in SMA clinics nationwide on Monday.
The step was in response to directives by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s initiative last July to treat children with SMA at government expense.
The minister said the political leadership has ordered the treatment of all SMA cases, including children over two years old, who, she added, will require a lifelong treatment.
The SMA is a rare neuromuscular disorder that can usually be diagnosed in infancy or early childhood, but it can be life-threatening if left untreated.
In a statement yesterday, Zayed said around 281 SMA cases have been detected, of which more than 32 can be treated.
According to Health Ministry Spokesman Khaled Megahed, 26 children with SMA have undergone gene therapy at the Nasser Institute Hospital Centre, Al-Galaa Armed Forces Hospital and Ain Shams University Hospital Centre.
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