sickle cell anaemia is the most common form of sickle cell disease homozygote for the “S” globin with usually a severe or moderately severe phenotype and with the shortest survival. According to the global health body, more than 300,000 babies with severe haemoglobin disorders are born globally each year, but 75 per cent is said to be found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Nigeria carries 66 per cent of the burden in the region as reported by the American Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states.
These statistics made us to help in tackling this disease from the grassroot. We are aiming at preventing the disease and supporting the people with the disease with tips on how to minimize crises and increase their productivity and wellbeing . As medical students who had knowledge on the disease we will encourage the students in our campus to go for genotype testing and as way of making the testing easier we will connect them with the testing centers more closer to them for easy access all in the spirit of preventing the disease. We design flyers and posters which will be means of disseminating information about the disease. The testing centers are usually available in our campus and the cost of the testing is coverd by the student health insurance scheme so what remains is encouraging the students to go for testing. Likewise for the people outside the campus the test usually cost less than $1.
For the people with sickle cell anaemia we will support them with tips on how to minimize crises,live a normal life and to let them know that they are like normal people. Usually people with sickle cell anaemia in our communities are always regarded as sick patients but we want to negate that fact. Also the students with sickle cell anaemia experiences strokes,silent infarction and cognitive impairment which necessitate us to create awareness on academic risks associated with sickle cell anaemia and lack of appropriate resource allocation. We will advocate for proper interventions so as to prevent academic failure, limited career options and total disability.