Share to networks
Like other countries, Niger is celebrating World Sickle Cell Day this Wednesday, June 19, 2024. On the occasion of this day under the theme: “Sickle cell disease: Let’s talk about it!” », the Minister of Public Health, Population and Social Affairs, Doctor Colonel Major Garba Hakimi, delivered a message in which he assured that in Niger, sickle cell anemia will no longer be this “orphan” disease which causes millions of victims. In the same vein, he invited all technical and financial partners to get involved alongside the health authorities of our country to win the fight against this scourge.
For the Minister in charge of Health, this year’s theme is very relevant when we know that sickle cell disease is the leading genetic disease in the world, affecting around 50 million people, and the number of patients only increases every year. year. Indeed, this hereditary and disabling disease giving rise to physical and psychological suffering, he specifies, constitutes a real public health problem, because it affects all populations in the world, particularly those in the regions of sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), reports the minister, each year 300,000 children are born with a major hemoglobin anomaly, including 200,000 cases found in Africa. For the African continent, the WHO estimates the prevalence of sickle cell disease at 13%. The Minister of Public Health stressed that Niger is one of the countries where sickle cell disease constitutes a major public health problem because each year 5.21% of children are born with sickle cell disease, i.e. a high prevalence estimated at 23.2% for children. carriers of sickle cell trait and 4.5% of major sickle cell syndromes.
“Deaths linked to complications are recorded mainly in children under 5 years of age who are not or poorly monitored, with adolescents and pregnant women unaware of their status. This is why I am taking the opportunity of this day to invite young couples to be screened for an informed choice of partner, in order to prevent sickle cell disease from being passed on to future generations,” declared the Doctor. Colonel Major Garba Hakimi. He underlines that Niger has a National Reference Center for Sickle Cell Disease (CNRD) whose operation contributes to the well-being of patients by facilitating their access to care according to international standards of care. The minister then paid well-deserved tribute to all the people who work tirelessly for better care of sickle cell patients.
Thus, Doctor Colonel Major Garba Hakimi reassured the parents of children with sickle cell disease and the sickle cell patients themselves, that this disease is no longer inevitable. The ministry, through the National Reference Center for Sickle Cell Disease, with the support of the President of the National Council for the Protection of the Fatherland (CNSP), Head of State, Brigadier General Abdourahamane Tiani as well as the Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, will spare no effort to provide quality care to all people suffering from this disease. As a reminder, it was on December 22, 2009 that the United Nations General Assembly, through resolution A/63/237, recognized sickle cell disease as a public health problem. Since then, June 19 of each year has been designated as International Sickle Cell Awareness Day. This date was proposed and retained in memory of the international appeal of women to fight sickle cell disease, organized in June 2003 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris by the International Organization for the Fight against Sickle Cell Disease (OILD). .
Abdoul-Aziz Ibrahim (ONEP)
