By Joseph Erunke

A Harvard Medical School director, Dr. Maureen Achebe, has said that the total cost of Sickle Cell disease across Sub-Saharan Africa may rise from $ 9.1 billion per year to $10.2 billion by 2030.

Achebe, an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, lamented the sickle cell rate in Nigeria, regretting that the country was grappling with the highest number of newborns affected by sickle cell disease globally.

The Clinical Director of Hematology Services at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, DFCI, advocated pre-marital sickle cell screening to reduce the alarming rate of the disease in Nigeria.

She spoke yesterday while delivering a public lecture organized by the Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Disease Research and Training, CESRTA, of the University of Abuja.

Achebe, who said Nigeria has around 150,000 cases annually, added that the country bears the highest disease burden in the world.

She enjoined the Nigerian government to prioritize newborn screening to ensure early detection and intervention for sickle cell disease.

Speaking on the topic, “The evolving therapeutic landscape in sickle cell disease,” she highlighted the latest advancements in treatment options and research for sickle cell disease, emphasizing the potential for improved patient outcomes and quality of life.

“Nigeria carries the highest burden of sickle cell disease in the world. Three hundred thousand babies are born every year in Africa, in Sub-Saharan Africa, with sickle cell disease. 150,000 of those babies are born in Nigeria.

“It is predicted that this number will go up with our fertility rate, so we will continue to be the highest burden of sickle cell disease, and it’s important for these babies to do well.

“Our concern about sickle cell disease is because under five mortality is 50 to 80% most of the babies that are born in Nigeria with sickle cell disease today will die before their fifth birthday. And there are things that we can do to make that better.

“We need to identify the patients and give these relatively simple things that will make a significant difference in the lives of these patients,” she said.

According to her, science has shown that sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder caused by a mutation in the hemoglobin gene.

She emphasized the importance of understanding the scientific basis of the disease to promote awareness, acceptance, and proper management.

“The primary thing is to detect a baby who has sickle cell disease. Babies are born with sickle cell disease, and they look completely normal.

“We need to find those babies before they get sick, and we need to do that by newborn screening.

Newborn Screening identifies babies who have sickle cell disease so that we can give them the few therapies that will make a significant difference in their life. We need to prevent pneumonia, we need to prevent malaria, and we need to give them vaccinations. We need to give them folic acid. These things will make a significant difference”, she added.

Also speaking, the Director of the Centre, Prof. Obiageli Nnodu emphasised the importance of a multi-faceted approach to addressing sickle cell disease, highlighting the need for increased awareness, research, and access to quality healthcare for those affected.

She underscored the Centre’s commitment to providing comprehensive care, promoting education, and advocating for policies that support individuals and families impacted by the disease.

The Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. Patricia Lar, on her part, emphasized that voluntary pre-marital screening is a crucial step in preventing sickle cell disease.

According to her, it enables prospective couples to make informed decisions about their reproductive health, thereby reducing the risk of having children with the disease.

Speaking through her representative and Provost, College of Health Sciences, Prof. Titus Ibekwe, the vice chancellor, emphasized the need for pre-marital screening.

Vanguard News