Nine children with thalassemia on average die in the Maldives every year, the National Thalassemia Centre has revealed.

A press release issued by the centre last week on the occasion of the World Thalassemia Day states that on average 28 child with the inherited blood disease were registered at centre every year for the past five, while six of them on average passed away each year, according to Haveeru.

Moreover, 18 percent of the population in the country were thalassemia carriers. The centre has registered 694 children since its formation 16 years ago.