Nigeria accounts for the highest burden of sickle cell disease (SCD) globally, with an estimated over 1.5 million children under the age of 15 living with the condition, a major new international study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health has revealed.
The study, led by Professor of Public Health at Teesside University, United Kingdom, and Director of the International Society of Global Health (ISoGH), Davies Adeloye, showed that Nigeria accounts for the largest share of this burden, far exceeding other high-burden countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia.
The study analysed data from 40 studies across 22 African countries to produce the most comprehensive country-level estimates of childhood sickle cell disease to date.
The study showed that in 2023, nearly nine million children across sub-Saharan Africa are living with sickle cell disease, including around 1.17 million infants and 2.75 million children under five, who face the highest risk of early death without treatment.
The findings highlighted both the scale of the challenge in Nigeria and the opportunity for the country to lead Africa in tackling one of the most preventable causes of childhood illness and death.
Adeloye explained that sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder present at birth.
He noted that with early diagnosis and access to simple, low-cost interventions such as newborn screening, penicillin prophylaxis, routine vaccinations, malaria prevention, and hydroxyurea, most complications and deaths can be prevented.
The researcher in Nigeria, however, access to these essential services remains limited.
According to him, many children are only diagnosed after severe and avoidable complications, while others are never diagnosed at all, contributing to high levels of preventable illness and early childhood deaths.
Adeloye said hundreds of thousands of young lives could be save and avoidable deaths reduced significantly, if Nigeria prioritises sickle cell disease within its national health agenda and integrates care into routine maternal and child health services.
“Nigeria now stands at the centre of the global sickle cell crisis. With over 1.5 million children affected, the scale is enormous, but so is the opportunity to act. We already know what works. Newborn screening and early treatment are effective, affordable, and can be delivered through existing health systems,” he said.
The researchers emphasised that strengthening Nigeria’s health system response will be critical, especially through expanding newborn screening programmes, improving access to essential medicines, and integrating sickle cell care into primary healthcare services.
The study called for urgent and coordinated action across government, health institutions, and development partners, including expanding newborn and early-childhood screening programmes, integrating sickle cell care into primary healthcare services and improving access to essential medicines and vaccines.
The study also called for increased domestic investment alongside international support and strengthening national data and surveillance systems.
The authors concluded that even modest improvements in early-life screening and treatment in high-burden countries like Nigeria could transform child survival and significantly reduce preventable deaths.
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