Over 150,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease in Nigeria every year, Chief Medical Laboratory Scientist, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Kaduna, Malam Abdullahi Musa Maikano has said.
Addressing a meeting organised by a Kaduna-based non-governmental organisation, Bako Youth Development Foundation, as part of activities marking this year’s World Sickle Cell Disease Day, the medical expert said, 40 million Nigerians, the highest in the world, currently live with the sickle cell disease.
Abdullahi said that the disease, which is the leading genetic disease in the world, once it afflicts a victim mainly through inheritance, the condition can hardly be reversed. Some scientists, however disagree with that assertion.
According to him, “about 40 million Nigerians are living with sickle cell disease and 150,000 babies are born annually making it the worst in the world. We need more awareness. People need to get tested before having anything close to marriage together. The best option now is prevention and that can only be achieved by going for genotype test early in life”.
The Founder of Bako Youth Development Foundation, Andy Bako said sickle cell can be best addressed if young Nigerians know their genotype even before they reach age of choosing their future spouses.
The Foundation believe that while the world await affordable and available scientific breakthrough to deal decisively with the scourge especially in poor earning settings in Sub Sahara, the need for prevention should be at the front burner of any serious government.
According to him, “today the world is celebrating sickle cell disease as set aside by the United Nations to show solidarity for people in this category. In our own case, we want to commemorate the day by prevention.
“So, we want to call on as many youths as possible to avail themselves for free test on genotype. We are expecting 300 of them as we are here but, that can be extended if we have more.
“We have those we call warriors here. That is those that are living with and managing sickle cell. We have drugs for them as our own way of identifying with them that they are important. We need to let people know that they can take decision not to join those that already have the disease. By so doing, we shall gradually nip it in the bud,” he said.
