Ignorance cause of Sickle Cell Disease spread in Nigeria ― SCHAF boss

The President and Co-founder of Sickle Cell Hope Alive Foundation (SCHAF) Nigeria, Professor
Adeyinka Falusi has attributed the unhealthy spread of Sickle Disease in Nigeria to ignorance of its prevention, control, as well as its management.

Professor Falusi said this during a visit to the Bola Ige International Market, New Gbagi, Ibadan where an awareness exercise was held to intimate traders on preventive measures and management of the disease.

She appealed to everybody in the market to seek for prevention and control knowledge of Sickle Cell Disease to rid society of the deadly but avoidable sickness.

Speaking she said: “My team’s mission in this market was to inform the sellers about the sickle cell disease and that Nigeria carried the highest burden of the disease and the need for their children to know their Blood Genotype before they would ever engage into marital relationship. We also came to the market to sensitise them about the necessity to assist the victims in their communities both in cash and in-kind and to inform them that our foundation is ever ready to educate them on the prevention and control of the disease through our enlightenment programmes.”

The chairman of the market, Alhaji Ganiyu Adetayo Commended the foundation for their visit to the market on the information about the disease in respect of its cause, prevention and management.

He challenged all the women in the market to take the advantage of the opportunity the foundation
brought to them by visiting the foundation centre for further enquiry about the disease. He appealed to the foundation not to relent in their efforts to prevent the spread of the disease in Oyo State and in the country.

Professor Falusi, in her speech, stated that she has not done enough in her efforts to put smiles on the faces of people living with Sickle Cell Disease in Nigeria. She called on the government, and state and National Assemblies to collaborate to deal with the disease in Nigeria.

According to her, not less than 4 million people are taking treatment for Sickle Cell disease in the country.

Meanwhile, SCHAF has witnessed to over 15,000 people in Nigeria through its awareness and
sensitisation programme on the preventive measure against the disease, while about 1,200 patients have benefited from its empowerment programmes and free healthcare facilities since it stated in Nigeria.

However, the fund has been its major problem, although it has experienced human resources in the
field to serve the nation in the prevention and control of Sickle Cell Disease in Nigeria. It is high time the government introduced a special Health Insurance scheme for Sickle Cell patients and to institute.

New Born Screening Centre where the newborn babies will be examined to determine their Blood
Genotype early enough.

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