By Samuel Oyejola
Government has been challenged to help in the creation of awareness about sickle cell disease to the public in order to reduced the number of children born with the disease as Nigeria is said to have the highest number of cases with over hundred thousand birth every year.
The Founder of Eyum Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation (ESCAF), Sandra Audu gave this advised recently when she spoke with our correspondent on the occasion to mark the world sickle cell day in Abuja. According to her, “Sickle Cell disease is not a sexually transmitted disease but state of health”.
She observed that lack of awareness about the diseases causes more pain to the carriers than anything while also lamenting that the government focuses more on HIV, cancer and other diseases while SCD is left unattended to.
Also speaking at the event to mark the World Sickle Cell Day, the founder of Center for School Health Education and Environmental Hygiene, Dr. Folasade Mohmoh, challenged the government to put more effort to the awareness.
She said that the little awareness and result that the fight against SCD has generated over the years was as a result of the resolve of health practitioners who collaborates with their colleagues outside the country and non-medical professionals who are concern about the disease as a result of probably members of the family is a carrier.
Mohmoh commended religious bodies who have taken it upon themselves to include it in marriage counseling. “What made us had breakthrough a bit is the introduction of premarital counseling in churches and mosques in order to enlighten would be couples about the dangers of SCD”, she noted.
She commended ESCAF for the SCD awareness on the world Sickle Cell day, while also promising that her organsiation would take the awareness beyond the World Sickle Cell day in order to reach out to those in the villages that may not have the benefit of the awareness.
Also Dr. Chidioma Chikeze the founder of Divine Women of Purpose Association advised parents to know that life does not end with having the Sickle Cell challenge stressing that people with sickle cell can be productive.
She noted that her organization is partnering with the ESCAF to provide opportunities for them to discover their hidden potentials. She also advised parents not to abandon their children with the disease.
According to Chikezie, “Parents have so much to do, alots of them are abandoning them believing that nothing good can come out of them. There are lots of people with the SCD that have made it.”
She said her NGO is partnering with ESCAF to provide scholarship for female Sickle cell carriers who are indigent to further their education and also give vocational training to those who want to learn any craft.