Before choosing your life partner

It is unfortunate that today the horrendous mess of genotype incompatibility, which is the treacherous combination of hemoglobin genotypes such as A.S+SS, A.S+A.S and S.S+S.S, is now sparking off cancellations of a myriad of partners’ wed-locks on their wedding day.  Nigeria has become the global epicenter of SCD as the death-dealing disease was confirmed to […]

It is unfortunate that today the horrendous mess of genotype incompatibility, which is the treacherous combination of hemoglobin genotypes such as A.S+SS, A.S+A.S and S.S+S.S, is now sparking off cancellations of a myriad of partners’ wed-locks on their wedding day. 

Nigeria has become the global epicenter of SCD as the death-dealing disease was confirmed to be a major contributor to child morbidity and mortality. It is estimated that 50 per cent of 300,000 babies being born with severe forms of SCD each year are Nigerians. The cardinal question here is why the country has the highest burden of the fatal silent killer disease across the globe? 

In his remarks on the commemoration of the 2022 World Sickle Cell Day, Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire said that the country has an estimated 25 per cent of her adult population being carriers of defective S-gene. He also added that estimated 150,000 affected children are born every year in Nigeria and about 50 or 80 per cent of the estimated 150,000 infants born yearly with SCD in Nigeria die before the age of five years.

According to some neurologists, stroke breeding cerebral damage that often occurs in children with SCD culminates in seizures and epilepsy. The neurologic complications are a major underlying cause of morbidity and mortality in SCD, adding that most of the infants’ disabilities, mental disorders, depression and psychiatric problems are associated with SCD’s complications across the nooks and crannies of the country.

Even before choosing their life partner or falling in love with someone, medical practitioners have tirelessly been advising and educating young men and women to attend healthcare centres in order to know which category of hemoglobin genotype they have. It is also very important for parents to conduct newborn screening for SCD owing to the delivery of healthy children. The significance of carrying out a hemoglobin genotype test cannot be overemphasised towards nipping the life-threatening disease in the bud, incapacitating it and giving room for the best genotype compatibility ratio showing that there is no possibility of giving birth to children with SCD.

It is palpable that the three tiers of government’s dereliction of duty to create constant public awareness is the major reason that adds fuel to the flame of the scary widespread disease across the country. This deadly illness, which is like a biological weapon for Nigerians, must promptly be debilitated.

I call on Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health to go all out and put forth a maximum effort for eliminating the disease  via calling youths’ attention to obtain their hemoglobin genotype result before deciding on their life partner or falling in love with someone. They should also make SCD’s test compulsory for newborns at all healthcare centers across the country so as to enfeeble the disease and lay a solid foundation for giving birth to healthy unborn generations.

Mustapha Baba, Alkali Musa Street, Azare, Bauchi State