“2% of newborns affected with sickle cell disease”
Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has reiterated its commitment to promote public health and support any initiative that will improve the quality of life of Nigerians who are Sickle Cell Anaemia Patients. President of PSN, Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai said Sickle cell disease has become a common and foremost genetic disease worldwide which must be tackled […]
Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has reiterated its commitment to promote public health and support any initiative that will improve the quality of life of Nigerians who are Sickle Cell Anaemia Patients.
President of PSN, Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai said Sickle cell disease has become a common and foremost genetic disease worldwide which must be tackled with all the seriousness it deserves.
In sickle cell anaemia, the red blood cells is abnormally shaped like a harvesting knife and get stuck in small blood vessels, causing blockage in the continuation of the blood flow in the blood vessels.
Whole body organs cannot get proper oxygen leading to the common health problems like severe pain, organ damage or failure, among others.
In a statement on the World Sickle Cell Day, Yakasai disclosed that over 300 000 babies with severe haemoglobin disorders are born each year.
Making reference to relevant statistics, Yakasai said more than 1000 babies are born every day having Sickle Cell Disease in Africa and they die at five years of age, adding, "In Africa nearly 2% of newborns are affected with sickle cell disease. In the United Kingdom more than 200 newborns are infected with sickle cell disease. In the Middle East more than 6000 babies are born annually with sickle cell disease."
According to him, the health burden of haemoglobin disorders can be effectively reduced through management and prevention programmes.
He said, "Sickle cell disease is common among the African, Asian nations and amongst people who do not have access to proper medical supervision and care. In the United States mainly the African-Americans are affected, with every one in 500 African-American child being affected with the disease."
He said Sickle Cell Disease can be properly managed if all stakeholders in the health sector including parents and NGO come together to improve the quality of life of Sickle Cell patients in Africa.