By Lukman Olabiyi
The number of people with sickle cell disorder (SCD) has continued to soar year in, year out. The unpalatable development, according to experts, could be attributed to many factors, including sheer ignorance on the part of would-be couples, who consider their genotype as immaterial.
In a bid to help tackle the surge of the disorder in Lagos State, National Youths Council of Nigeria (NYCN), in conjunction with Ikorodu West Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and a non-governmental organisation, Crimson Bow Sickle Cell initiative, have begun massive awareness campaign on the disease.
Chairman of Ikorodu West LCDA, Mr Sulaiman Kazeem Olanrewaju, and the NYCN president in the area, Mr Asoro Abubakri Olatunji, said the awareness campaign was a demonstration of their commitment to promoting and supporting healthy living among Nigerians.
The one-day programme tagged “Geneducation”, a public awareness campaign for sickle cell prevention and management, gave Ikorodu residents the opportunity to carry out genotype tests, health checks and other diagnosis for free.
Apart from the medical benefits that the programme offered residents of Ikorodu, the organisers of the campaign also embarked on an awareness walk in the area to mobilise and sensitise the public on the condition.
So what was the motive behind NYCN’s partnership with the LCDA and the Crimsonbow Sickle Cell Initiative? Olatunji said: “Sickle cell has become a common and foremost genetic disease worldwide which can be cured through fast awareness campaign, curable activities, early diagnosis and effective management. Based on statistics, it has been discovered that more than 1000 babies are being born every day with sickle cell disease in Africa only to die before the age of five.”
He commended the LCDA chairman for supporting the campaign and giving the youths support to contribute their own quota to the development of the society.
Olatunji stated that with the sensitisation embarked upon by the trio, it would increase the knowledge of the people about the disease and make them to be proactive on ways to prevent and manage it.
The LCDA chairman, Olanrewaju in his remark at the event, commended NYCN for the initiative, and pledged his administration’s continuous support for the youths on programmes that would develop their potential.
He charged all stakeholders to do more in order to reduce the number in Nigeria, even as he noted that there was nothing any society could achieve without good health.
Also, the founder of CrimsonBow, Timilehin Edwin, said that SCD could be well managed, with people living with the condition having fulfilled and happy lives.
She corroborated others’ positions that awareness campaign was one of the best ways to tackle the disease. According to her, the earlier people know their status, the easier and better for them to manage it.
Edwin advocated more enlightenment on the disease and called on governments at all levels to be more proactive in order to prevent and better manage the disease in Nigeria as obtainable in developed countries.