Abuja: The Acting Vice-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, formerly UniAbuja, Prof. Patricia Lar, emphasizes that prevention is essential in the fight against Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in Nigeria. Lar, represented by the Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Prof. Titus Ibekwe, made this assertion during a public lecture titled, ‘The Evolving Therapeutic Landscape in Sickle Cell Disease.’

According to News Agency of Nigeria, the event was organized by the Yakubu Gowon University Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Disease Research and Training (CESRTA) in collaboration with the College of Health Sciences (CHS). Lar stressed the importance of prevention, particularly in the selection of life partners, to avoid having children with SCD. She suggested that considering partner compatibility could reduce the disease to only carriers and discourage marriages between incompatible partners.

Lar stated, “If we maintain this precautionary measure over time, we will be able to eliminate SCD or reduce it to a minimum worldwide.” She also highlighted advances in treating SCD, such as bone marrow transplants and gene therapy, noting that gene therapy aims to modify the gene to function like a normal gene rather than the sickle cell gene.

Guest Lecturer Maureen Achebe, Clinical Director of Hematology at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine and Global Equity at Harvard Medical School, noted that Nigeria has the highest burden of SCD worldwide. She explained that 300,000 babies are born with SCD in Sub-Saharan Africa annually, with 150,000 in Nigeria alone, warning that the country’s fertility rate predicts an increase in these numbers.

Achebe emphasized the significance of newborn screening programs to detect SCD early, advocating for preventive measures such as vaccination, folic acid supplements, and protection against infections like pneumonia and malaria to improve health outcomes. She noted that daily hydroxyurea treatments have shown to improve longevity for SCD patients.

Achebe also called for economic support from the Ministries of Health and Finance and stressed the need for prioritizing newborn screening. Dispelling myths, she affirmed that SCD is a scientifically inherited disease, not caused by witchcraft.

Similarly, Prof. Obiageli Nnodu, Director of CESRTA and Co-Chair of the 5th Global Congress on SCD, stated that the lecture aimed to share valuable information about SCD treatment with the public. She explained that CESRTA, established in 2015, conducts clinical and translational research to bridge gaps in SCD knowledge, treatment, and care.

Nnodu highlighted CESRTA’s significant progress in finding safer, more affordable remedies for SCD over the last decade and noted its strong collaborations with national and international institutions. She also mentioned that following the recent 5th Global Congress on SCD, the UniAbuja Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Disease Research and Training was upgraded to the National Centre of Excellence for SCD Research and Training, as announced by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate.