A Harvard Medical School director, Dr. Maureen Achebe, has said that the total cost of Sickle Cell disease across Sub-Saharan Africa may rise from $ 9.1 billion per year to $10.2 billion by 2030.

Achebe, an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, lamented the sickle cell rate in Nigeria, regretting that the country was grappling with the highest number of newborns affected by sickle cell disease globally.

The Clinical Director of Hematology Services at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, DFCI, advocated pre-marital sickle cell screening to reduce the alarming rate of the disease in Nigeria.

She spoke yesterday while delivering a public lecture organised by the Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Disease Research and Training, CESRTA, of the University of Abuja.

Achebe, who said Nigeria has around 150,000 cases annually, added that the country bears the highest disease burden in the world.

She enjoined the Nigerian government to prioritize newborn screening to ensure early detection and intervention for sickle cell disease.

Speaking on the topic, “The evolving therapeutic landscape in sickle cell disease,” she highlighted the latest advancements in treatment options and research for sickle cell disease, emphasizing the potential for improved patient outcomes and quality of life.

“Nigeria carries the highest burden of sickle cell disease in the world. Three hundred thousand babies are born every year in Africa, in Sub-Saharan Africa, with sickle cell disease. 150,000 of those babies are born in Nigeria.

“It is predicted that this number will go up with our fertility rate, so we will continue to be the highest burden of sickle cell disease, and it’s important for these babies to do well.”