Ahead of the 2021 World Sickle Cell
Awareness Day, a 55-year-old survivor,
Shehu Mohammed, has pledged to
enroll 100 indigent Sickle Cell patients
on the National Health Insurance
Scheme (NHIS).
This is as Mr Mohammed is set to
launch a book on his travails, and
survival strategies, which he noted will
guide many Nigerians and non-Nigerian
in his shoe on how to navigate the
murky water of the disease.
“This will allow this vulnerable set of
people to have access to healthcare for
their precarious health condition,” he
said of the NHIS enrollment plan.
The book
According to the author, the book, which
is titled; “I’m a Survivor: The Story of my
Triumph over Sickle Cell Pain,” gives
detailed information on the management
of the disorder, attitudes and habits
required by the carriers to live a
productive life.
He said the book chronicles his life story
as a sickle cell disorder (SCD) survivor,
noting that it will be made public on
June 19, in Abuja.
The author added that the event would
feature an awareness campaign on the
disorder by the founder of Beulah Sickle
Cell Foundation, Josephine Olunaike.
He said many tips are also given to
parents, family members, friends and
caregivers on how best they could be of
help to carriers.
Mr Mohammed said the book seeks to
check the increasing tide of sickle cell
disorder and guide young couples on
how to raise a healthy family.
Sickle Cell Disease
Known for distorting the red blood cells,
which mostly results in severely painful
blood clots, sickle cell anaemia is
among the top genetic haemoglobin
disorders.

The genetically inherited chronic
condition, which can also lead to death,
troubles a little less than five per cent of
the global population, the World Health
Organisation (WHO), said.
But for people whose origins can be
traced to Africa, the risk is
disproportionately higher.

Red blood cells of sickle cell anaemia
disease[Photo Credit: www.practicalpainmanagement.com]
While over 300,000 babies globally are
born with severe sickle cell disease, 75
per cent of that number, 225, 000, are
born in Sub-Saharan Africa and Nigeria
carries 66 per cent of the burden in the
region, according to the American
Centre for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
This means that in Nigeria alone, nearly
150,000 children are born annually with
sickle-cell anaemia. The country bears
50 per cent of the global burden.
World Sickle Cell Day
Since 2008, World Sickle Cell Awareness
Day has been held on June 19 annually,
in order to help increase public
knowledge and raise awareness of SCD
and the struggles sufferers and their
families go through.
The date, June 19, was chosen to
commemorate the day on which a
resolution was officially adopted by the
General Assembly of the United Nations,
recognising SCD as a public health
concern.
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/467358-sickle-cell-disease-55-year-old-survivor-to-enroll-100-nigerian-patients-on-nhis.html

K

I am beginning to hate these kind of stats. We are here talking about having half of worlds case of sickle cell, but when the states receive allocation to tackle these things they don't tackle them. Instead we read about Nigeria's poorest state zamfara using about $7m to break rammadan fast.

nice one