Foundation canvasses partnership, funding for sickle cell disease
NAN-HG-1
Sickle cell
By Talatu Maiwada
Abuja June 20, 2017 (NAN) The Sickle Cell Aid Foundation (SCAF) has called on the Federal Government (FG) to partner with institutions involved in treating sickle cell disease in order to curb the prevalence of the disease in Nigeria.
Dr Kanayo Collins, President of the foundation, made the appeal in Abuja on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to commemorate the 2017 World Sickle Cell Awareness Day.
He said the government has a role to play in ensuring Nigeria becomes a sickle cell free society through partnership and subsidising healthcare for sickle cell related cases.
“It is paramount that the government partners with NGOs such as SCAF and other stakeholders in their activities and campaigns related to eradicating sickle cell disease in Nigeria.
“There should be adequate funding for a nationwide training of personnel and sensitisation programmes about sickle cell diseases,” he said.
According to Collins, Nigeria has the highest population of people with sickle cell disorder, with about 150,000 births annually.
He said available statistics showed that over 40 million Nigerians are carriers of the sickle cell gene.
He added that a 2014 report from the Federal Ministry of Health indicated that Katsina State had the highest number of people with sickle cell disorder with over 17,000 people.
Collins decried the negative attitude towards sickle cell diseases by Nigerians despite the alarming statistics.
He attributed the attitude to inadequate information about the disease or outright ignorance about sickle cell disorder.
Collins further urged the government to establish bone marrow transplant facilities across the states and refurbish the existing ones in order to help carriers of the gene live a happy and healthy live.
Besides, he called on caregivers to sickle cell carriers to ensure they drink more water to avoid dehydration.
“Ensure they keep warm since cold or wet condition can aggravate the sickness and they should avoid activities that can leave them excessively exhausted.
“Children with sickle cell disease should be fully immunised against infectious illnesses. They should also go for constant medical checkup,’’ he advised.
The medical expert explained that sickle cell anaemia, also known as sickle disorder or sickle cell disease, was a common genetic condition due to a haemoglobin disorder inheritance from both parents.
He said about five per cent of the world’s population carries the genes responsible for the disorder.
“Each year, about 300 infants are born with major haemoglobin disorders including more than 200,000 cases of sickle cell anaemia in Africa,’’ he said. (NAN)
TIM/MAS/MST
Edited by Moses Solanke/Muhammad Suleiman Tola