[supporting feminist projects, funding women's centres and trying…]

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supporting feminist projects, funding women's centres and trying to get away from the usual unthinking sexism of local government.

Women's TUC Fringe Meeting on HOMEWORKING Thursday 15 March 1984 at 5.45pm in the Caribbean Bar, Rainbow Hotel, Belgrave Road, Torquay.

Speakers: Mary Thacker, ex-GMWU Homeworkers Branch, Anne Spencer, Tailor & Garment Workers Union "'home" , politics and community, I think women have shown themselves to be incredibly inventive and audacious.

Les I LAST wrote about Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA) two years ago, suon after the Sickle Cell Society's report detailing the need for improved services.

Last week's Observer reported the death of a two year old child in Lambeth, South London from undiagnosed SCA, and revealed that none of the SCS recommendations had been carried out. changes shape slightly, squeez ing the oxygens out rapidly. It is now deoxy Hb, instead of oxy Hb. This change of shape is crucial to understanding SCA.

SCA victims, and carriers of SC trait, have mutant Hb genes, so that just one amino acid is altered, one which is on the surface of the Hb molecule.

Instead of being electrically charged and attractive to water, the amino acid is now fatty and repellent to water. And in the deoxy state, sickle Hb is much less soluble.

If enough of the sickle Hb is in the deoxy state, the fatty amino acid makes the molecules stick gene and one normal gene have half normal and half sickle Hb. They rarely suffer ill effects, and only 1% of blood cells are sickled on average. This is because only in extreme conditions would enough sickle Hb be deoxygenated to form crystals.

SCA is not a rare disease -some 3 per 1,000 Afro-Caribbeans suffer from it, while as many as 10% are carriers. How come such a harmful gene has survived and prospered? And how is it that up to 40% of people in some parts of Africa possess the SC gene?

The highest frequencies are found in those areas most charge on sickle Hb, it mov less in an electric field. It test could be done at the sar time as the routine test fi phenylketonuria already done : birth.

This was recommended k the Sickle Cell Society in 198 but even though SCA is mo common than phenylketonur nothing is being done.

Other recommendations sur as free prescriptions for peop with inherited diseases have y to be implemented, while litt is being done to even educa and counsel people about Sick Cell Anaemia and Sickle Cr Trait.

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