Increasing rise in sickle cell cases has been blamed on lack of awareness campaign to the grassroots and absence of neonatal care in the country.
This came to the front burner against the backdrop of recent statistics that Nigeria has the highest number of persons with sickle cell in the world.
Speaking on the sideline of a current affairs programme, ‘Talk of the Town’ monitored by the National Network, a consultant Emorthologist , Dr. Kaladada Kurubo expressed worry over the unfavourable statistics about the sickle cell case in Nigeria.
She blamed lack of fundings to make genotype test-free in the country and stated that the statistics in the country has not changed in the last 360 days as nothing much had been achieved to reduce the incident.
The consultant disclose that for every 1, 000 life birth in Nigeria, about 30 per cent were given birth to with sickle cell anaemia. She noted that it was not as if nothing had achieved at all but it was not significant. “I don’t think much has changed in terms of statistics,” while calling for an improved awareness at the grassroots to take the message deeper to the rural communities. Dr. Kurubo also called for what she described as standard care to address the issue of sickle cell in the society. She noted that this is important in order to check stigmas associated with sickle cell in the society which she noted often fuelled depression and mental issues.
She also expressed concern over scarcity of neonatal screening centers in the the country as she recalled that Nigeria only has very few of them located up north who where they available for such services.
