Healthcare workers from across the UAE received training last week on how to counsel patients with genetic diseases.
The workshops, organised by the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi, were designed to help doctors and nurses provide the correct information and support, said Dr Farida Al Hosani, the deputy manager of communicable diseases.
More than 19,000 people were screened between April last year and August this year, 60 per cent of those being Emirati.
Less than two per cent of people tested were found to be carriers of thalassaemia B, a blood disorder.