Free premarital genetic screening at The Bride Show Dubai

The UAE Genetic Disease Association (UAE GDA) has teamed up with IIR Middle East, the organisers of The Bride Show Dubai, to provide the genetic screening service free of charge at the bridal extravaganza.

Getting married in the UAE is about more than high fashion, sparkling diamonds and extravagant honeymoon destinations; a union of two people and their families is significant. The Bride Show Dubai aims to provide everything a bride-to-be could need to prepare for her big day.

The UAE GDA is a locally based NGO dedicated to raising awareness on genetic diseases in the UAE and plays an especially active role in identifying carriers of common blood genetic diseases. By law, couples intending to get married in the UAE are required to undergo genetic disease screening before the big day.

While UAE GDA and the UAE government make strides to eliminate common blood genetic diseases from infant births in the next three years, current sufferers of these types of diseases cannot be helped by genetic screening. People with acute cases can have life-threatening anemia that requires extensive medical care and frequent blood transfusions to survive.

With this in mind, visitors to the exhibition are also taking time to aid genetic disease sufferers, trauma patients, and others in need, by giving blood at the Sharjah Blood Bank stand at Women's Healthcare, the dedicated health event running alongside The Bride Show Dubai.

Daphne Cota, Exhibition Manager for The Bride Show, said:

"The UAE GDA and the Sharjah Blood Bank play vital roles in the UAE community, and The Bride Show Dubai provides them with an excellent platform to reach a large audience of families and couples that take health issues very seriously."

"Blood donation and genetic testing are part of the wide range of services and products available at The Bride Show Dubai, which houses everything one could want to design a dream wedding, but also showcases the crucial things couples need to start happy and healthy families together," Cota added.

Crowds at The Bride Show Dubai on day two were wowed by a wave of fashion, as new label 3Deez kicked proceedings off with innovative bridal and evening wear, followed by high-end abayas from Dar Al Shmookh and exquisite haute couture from Meena Rose. Designer Marayam Al Shaibani for Design Corner and Al Thani Couture capped off the night's fashion shows with beautiful bridal dresses and rapturous applause.

The Bride Show Dubai is open from 2:30pm to 10:30pm until Saturday 11 April 2009 at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre. An entry fee of 10dhs is applicable. Children under 14 are not permitted but a Peekaboo Children's Crèche is available.