Dr Kwaku Ohene-Frempong
Children with sickle cell are now leading normal lives due to measures such as new-born screening, vaccinations, early interventions vaccinations and educational efforts to dispel myths and eliminate the stigma of the disease.
According to Dr Kwaku Ohene-Frempong of the Sickle Cell Foundation of Ghana, simple public health measures, especially new-born screening, has helped children with sickle cell lead more normal lives.
“Unfortunately, despite the work we’ve done in Ghana and across Africa, much remains to be done to reduce infant mortality — 90 percent of children with SCD in resource-poor countries will not survive to adulthood,” he said.
Current statistics show that the prevalence of sickle cell disease in Ghana is about 25 percent and an estimated two percent of births, amounting to approximately 15,000 babies are born with the disease annually due to low awareness on knowing ones genotype before couples decide to have babies.
In support of World Sickle Cell Day, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) has taken measures to raise awareness of SCD in Africa in an effort to improve health.
It starts with early recognition, ideally through newborn screening,” ASH President Alexis A. Thompson, MD, MPH, of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, said.
“Our hope is that by using these videos to dispel myths and tell parents that SCD is manageable, we can encourage families, communities and public officials to screen newborn children for sickle cell disease so that they can receive critical, accessible treatment that will help them survive,” he added.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited, chronic blood disorder which can cause severe pain, stroke, organ failure and other complications, including death.
By Samuel Boadi