ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The Formation of the Cypriot Thalassaemia Prevention System: The ‘Slow’ Assembly and Construction of a Problem (1944-1984)
Theodoros Kyriakides,
Corresponding Author
Theodoros Kyriakides
Theodoros Kyriakides is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Cyprus. His PhD research explored the history and politics of thalassaemia in Cyprus. His is now engaged in a new project on the historical and modern relations between magic and religion in Cyprus.
Search for more papers by this authorTheodoros Kyriakides,
Corresponding Author
Theodoros Kyriakides
Theodoros Kyriakides is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Cyprus. His PhD research explored the history and politics of thalassaemia in Cyprus. His is now engaged in a new project on the historical and modern relations between magic and religion in Cyprus.
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Thalassaemia is one of the most widespread recessive blood disorders in the world. This article focuses the historical trajectory by which the Cypriot thalassaemia prevention system, one of the most successful of its kind, achieved full prevention rate. By tracing the history of decision-making of medical practitioners central to the construction of the prevention system, my objective is to further elucidate underlying logics of policy-making and health governance which can account for its success. As I suggest, the Cypriot thalassaemia prevention system achieved a full prevention rate because it operated according to a ‘slow’ modality of problematisation and decision-making, which accounted for the cultural, social and ethical dimensions specific to the Cypriot public.
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