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Nigeria currently has the largest burden in the world of sickle cell disease, SCD. About 150,000 Nigerian babies are born with the disorder each year, while about four million Nigerians carry the sickle cell trait.
In this interview with SOLA OGUNDIPE, Dr. Alexis A. Thompson, President of the American Society of Hematology, ASH, Professor at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and Head of the D & D Section. Hematology at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, discusses the need to control DSC in resource-poor settings such as Nigeria
She stresses the importance of identifying the unmet medical needs of people living with MSC and providing appropriate clinical care while promoting wider use of NBS neonatal screening initiatives. and early intervention. Extracts:
From the perspective of the ASH / Sickle Cell Cluster, what specific lessons from targeted SCD initiatives in industrialized countries, including the United States, can be applied in the management and control of DMCs in poor settings in resources?
We have learned targeted initiatives in places like the United States that there are really three things that help improve the survival of infants with sickle cell disease: parenting skills, newborn screening and pregnancy. use of penicillin.
Cellular diseases are more likely to survive early childhood if their parents are familiar with the disease and the particular health care needs badociated with it. This finding has led to universal screening of newborns in the United States.
Penicillin is also important because people with SCD have a weaker immune system and are therefore more susceptible to infections. Neonatal screening and access to penicillin daily have significantly reduced mortality in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. In addition, we have seen that the integration of these principles – increased parenting, more widespread neonatal screening and better access to penicillin – has had a dramatic effect on reducing child mortality in children with SCD. From other countries like Jamaica and Brazil
What is the concept of neonatal screening, NBS in reducing high mortality of SCD in undiagnosed infants / children?
The practice of neonatal screening is to collect only a few drops of blood from each baby born in a hospital. These drops of blood are placed on a piece of paper to be treated in a laboratory.
If the results show that the newborn has a SCD, the hospital can warn the parents. Parents who know their child's status can learn about how to manage the condition and take small steps that will dramatically improve their baby's chances of survival.
Another way to help the baby is the treatment of malaria. We know that a child with SCD who contracts malaria falls sick faster and is likely to die of malaria. It is therefore important not only to remain diligent with prevention practices such as the use of mosquito nets, but also to receive proper care. If a child with SCD contracts malaria
For a child with MSC, common fever treatment techniques such as cold baths are not enough, but consult a doctor soon after the onset of symptoms can help save the life of this child. 19659002] What are the SNB's prospects for improvement in high-debt countries, such as Nigeria, and the training of experts and the development of relevant national guidelines and policies?
We are very happy to engage health facilities Nigeria, Ghana and other countries throughout Africa.
These are discussions not only about the successful outcomes badociated with NBS's enhanced programs, but also about how to help physicians and o Health care providers are caring for people living with an MSC
. One of the best ways to educate and equip these doctors is to develop effective and evidence-based guidelines. A collaborative effort consisting of several health care organizations across Africa is currently working to create guidelines specifically focused on improving care for SCD with limited resources. I think these two programs have the potential to bring astonishing results in improving care for people with CGD in Africa.
How does ASH help ensure that available SCD therapies are more widely available in Nigeria, Ghana, etc.? ASH is committed to supporting research and collaborations that aim to increase the accessibility of therapies, and we continue to convene the best scientific and medical minds in meetings around the world to discuss how we can achieve this goal.
People living with SCD is increasing. In what ways can the SNB help develop and promote more effective CSM prevention initiatives?
You are right, one study estimates that the number of people suffering from DMC could increase by 30% by 2050.
It is there that this initiative of the ASH and of the SCD Coalition was born: using NBS to help parents know if their child has CDS, we can not only start penicillin at an early age, but these parents can better understand
We want Parents understand that by providing their child with the proper care they need from a doctor or nurse who has the knowledge and medication necessary to take care of people with the disease they can help their child live long and relatively healthy
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