19th June marks World Sickle Cell Awareness Day

This annual, global campaign, held each year on June 19th, aims to raise public awareness and spread knowledge of sickle cell disease (SCD) which affects millions of people worldwide. It is a potentially fatal condition which the World Health Organization (WHO) have identified as one of the main causes of premature deaths and death under the age of 5 in many African countries.

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), also known as sickle cell anaemia, is a heritable, genetic disorder which manifests with abnormally shaped red blood cells. The resulting reduction in haemoglobin causes anaemia. Furthermore, the cells may lodge in small blood vessels, obstructing blood flow and depriving organs of oxygen. Sufferers, both adults and children, encounter daily struggles as they experience severe pain, headache, infection, risk of stroke and widespread organ damage which may lead to organ failure.

SCD is of global importance. It is the most common public health problem in the African and Asian countries of the world, with a significant incidence in India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the Arabic peninsula, Brazil, Surinam, Guiana, Southern Italy and Greece. This awareness day seeks to educate the public on this common genetic condition: notably, that early before birth detection can identify whether a foetus is affected or is a carrier for the disease. Secondly, the campaign highlights the important research that has been carried out to develop treatment methods. Encouragingly, bone marrow transplantation has been shown to successfully reduce symptoms in affected individuals. World Sickle Cell Awareness Day offers sufferers hope and asks public services and organisations for continued support.

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