Checking Spread Of Sickle Cell Anaemia

The Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu recently raised an alarm that Nigeria ranked first among the most sickle cell anaemia endemic countries on the African continent, with an annual infant deaths of 100,000 representing eight per cent infant mortality in the country.

Quoting from a recent World Health Organisation (WHO) report, the minister also revealed that an average of 200,000 infants are born with the disease in Africa, out of which Nigeria alone accounts for 150,000 representing a whopping 75 percent.

Prof. Chukwu who made these disturbing disclosures recently in his message to commemorate this year’s annual Sickle Cell Anaemia Day awareness campaign, said the dangerous health condition deserves urgent steps to address.

This, according to him, is because a situation whereby Nigeria records 100,000 infants’ deaths annually and 150,000 others born  with the anaemia can no longer be treated with kids’ gloves, since  research now shows that the country’s 140 million people are undoubtedly at great risk.

With the frightening figures now made available, that the sickle cell anaemia is visibly taking a heavy toll on the country’s population and therefore needs to be urgently addressed is to state it mildly.  Infact, very urgent and concerted efforts are required to properly educate the citizenry on the dangers we face.

Fortunately, Professor Chukwu has set the pace by raising the timely alarm that should not be ignored.  That wake-up call by the Health Minister should infact serve as a catalyst for frontally confronting a problem that has greatly caused untold pains and deaths.

Instructively, several reasons may be responsible for the rapid spread of the sick cell anemia in Nigeria, key among which according to experts, is ignorance on the part of would-be couples who venture into marriage without thorough genotype tests.  Another is defiance and faith-based indifference to the fatal nature of the health condition.  In the case of such couples, rather than choose their spouses based on expert advice they very often deliberately risk the life of their unborn child by consummating such marriages.

This is indeed the deep-seated problem plaguing the family institution and which without doubt aggravates the spread of the scourge through the production of sickle cell afflicted infants.

Sadly, apart from its prevalence the disease also exposes the victims to countless other life-threatening and highly complicated medical problems, while experts have warned that children born with the anaemia barely reach their fifth birth day.

It is this fatal nature that has forced both the WHO and the Health Minister to raise that timely alarm.  But the protection of future generations of children would require more than words on paper nor mere lamentations.

Government should muster the necessary political will to tackle the sickle cell anaemia scourge through intensive public awareness campaign and if necessary, make pre-nuptial genotype test compulsory to save future generations of unborn babies.

While urging the government to fashion out proactive policies and programmes, we find it most instructive to entreat faith-based organisations like churches, mosques and even Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to also carry out awareness campaigns required to help check themaking of new-borns with sickle cell anaemia.

Most importantly, The Tide also urges would-be couples to undergo thorough medical test to ascertain their genotypes and seek expert advice before consummating any marriage because sickle cell anaemia we now know, is not  only real, it is as deadly as the dreaded HIV/AIDS  scourge.

We say so because nothing can be more heartbreaking to married couples than to helplessly watch their loved offsprings die infants, barely making their fifth birthday, or even earlier.  It is worse if such deaths are traceable to the parents’ indifference or defiance.  Know your genotype today.

A stitch in time they say saves nine.