Ending the burden of sickle cell disease in Africa

Sickle cell disease, an inherited haemoglobin disorder, is the most prevalent genetic disease in WHO's African region. 1 WHO Regional Office for Africa Regional Committee for AfricaSickle-cell disease: a strategy for the WHO African region. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/1682Date: 2011 Date accessed: May 17, 2023 Google Scholar The African region has the highest burden of the disease globally, with a reported prevalence of 2%, causing 38 403 deaths in 2019. 1 WHO Regional Office for Africa Regional Committee for AfricaSickle-cell disease: a strategy for the WHO African region. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/1682Date: 2011 Date accessed: May 17, 2023 Google Scholar About 50–80% of the estimated 400 000 infants born each year with sickle cell disease in Africa die before the age of 5 years. 2 Grosse SD Odame I Atrash HK Amendah DD Piel FB Williams TN Sickle cell disease in Africa: a neglected cause of early childhood mortality. Am J Prev Med. 2011; 41: S398-S405 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (376) Google Scholar Such high mortality is unwarranted, given scientific advances in disease management, and preventive and symptomatic measures that have substantially improved quality of life of those with the condition. Cisneros and Thein 3 Salinas Cisneros G Thein SL Recent advances in the treatment of sickle cell disease. Front Physiol. 2020; 11: 435 Crossref PubMed Scopus (65) Google Scholar reported that use of pharmacological and genomic approaches developed in the past decade have had positive outcomes on morbidity and mortality from sickle cell disease, despite a varied uptake in practice, but such interventions are largely inaccessible in low-income countries (LICs).