Ibrahim Danbatta
World Sickle Cell Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2008 in order to increase the awareness about the Sickle Cell Disease and its cure among the common public. It was celebrated for the first time on 19th of June in 2009.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders, this means it’s inherited from both parents who are carriers. According to health experts, Healthy red blood cells are round, and they move through small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. In someone who has SCD, the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle”. The sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells. Also, when they travel through small blood vessels, they get stuck and clog the blood flow. People with sickle cell anaemia often experience Episodes of pain, swelling of hands and feet, frequent infections, Delayed growth or puberty, Vision problems among others.
It has been estimated that over 500, 000 are born every year with SCD, studies have also shown that 50% of SCD patients will die before the age of 5. However, this does not mean that SCD is a dead sentence, as long as they undergo regular check-ups with a doctor, take their medications regularly, prevent infections through hygienic practices such as hand washing and drink lots of water, people living with SCD can live as long as others or even longer than people living without SCD. Ashata Onikoyi- Laguda, is the oldest sickle cell patient in Nigeria who lived for 95 years.
SCD is inherited when a child receives two sickle cell genes—one from each parent. SCD is diagnosed with a simple blood test. It is most often found at birth during routine new-born screening tests at the hospital. Because children with SCD are at an increased risk of infection and other health problems, early diagnosis and treatment are important.
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the only cure for SCD is bone marrow or stem cell transplant. In order to maintain a healthy eating lifestyle, eat.com, an online blog that specialises on nutrition maintained that, SCD patients, especially children, “must eat healthy meals which includes fruits, vegetables, grains, and also drink a lot of water with vitamin D supplements”.
Nigeria is said to be one of the countries with the highest number of people suffering from SCD in the world. Therefore, it is important to embark on a rigorous awareness campaign that is aimed at educating and enlightening people about SCD. This has to be done both at the federal and state government level. NGOs and religious bodies also have an important role to play in ensuring people know their genotype before marriage. This campaign must be taken into all the nooks and crannies of the country, especially the rural area.
Governments at all levels must establish and ensure compliance of laws that will enforce testing and genotype compatibility before marriage. The Anambra state government is at the forefront of this, the parliament has passed a bill making genotype testing compulsory before testing; it states that no religious body or registry must join a couple without genotype testing. Therefore, other states must follow suite.
Ibrahim Danbatta writes from Kaduna
