{"id":8116,"date":"2026-02-13T12:03:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T11:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.infotekps.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/13\/early-screening-key-to-reducing-child-deaths-from-sickle-cell-experts\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T12:03:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T11:03:42","slug":"early-screening-key-to-reducing-child-deaths-from-sickle-cell-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.infotekps.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/13\/early-screening-key-to-reducing-child-deaths-from-sickle-cell-experts\/","title":{"rendered":"Early screening key to reducing child deaths from sickle cell \u2014 Experts"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Solomon Odeniyi<\/p>\n

The Director of the National Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Disease Research and Training, Prof. Obiageli Nnodu, said early screening and continuous care significantly reduce under-five mortality among children living with Sickle Cell Disease.<\/p>\n

She said the lower prevalence of SCD among adults compared with children reflects early deaths caused by the absence of routine screening and standardised care.<\/p>\n

Nnodu spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the Nigeria Inherited Blood Disorders Leadership Forum organised by the Nigeria Society for Haematology and Blood Transfusion.<\/p>\n

According to Nnodu, the absence of universal newborn screening means Nigeria still relies on estimates rather than population-based data to determine the incidence of the disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly screening and continuous care significantly reduce under-five mortality. SCD prevalence appears lower in adults than in children because many affected children die early due to a lack of screening and standardised care.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout universal newborn screening, SCD epidemiologic data in Nigeria continue to rely on estimates instead of population-based incidence. Newborn screening determines the actual birth incidence of SCD and the effectiveness of early diagnosis and standard care in preventing deaths,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Also speaking, a consultant haematologist, Prof. Nora Akinola, said Nigeria remained underprepared for widespread newborn screening, stressing that prevention should be prioritised over curative care.<\/p>\n

She noted that many families could not afford the cost of treatment, while the financial burden of curative care also poses challenges for the government.<\/p>\n

Akinola urged the adoption of low-cost point-of-care screening tools, adding that Nigerian haematologists had validated their accuracy in a multicentre study.<\/p>\n

She said SCD remains highly prevalent in the North-West and South-West, with a higher concentration of the sickle cell gene in the South-West.<\/p>\n

The consultant said current newborn screening efforts across the country were limited and largely dependent on research initiatives, donations and public-private partnerships.<\/p>\n

She explained that effective newborn screening requires testing, tracking, treatment, education and evaluation, adding that counselling and follow-up remain weak due to a shortage of trained personnel.<\/p>\n

A senior consultant haematologist at the National Hospital, Abuja, Dr Christiana Udo, said early diagnosis allows timely intervention that reduces complications and improves quality of life.<\/p>\n

She added that screening also provides families with information that supports adherence to treatment and preventive measures, including vaccination and prophylactic therapies.<\/p>\n

From the health financing perspective, the Assistant Director at the National Health Insurance Authority, Dr Oche Otalu, said SCD poses lifelong health and financial challenges for affected families.<\/p>\n

He said integrating SCD services into primary healthcare and NHIA benefit packages would promote early intervention, continuity of care and reduce avoidable hospital admissions.<\/p>\n

Otalu added that risk pooling through health insurance would protect families from catastrophic out-of-pocket spending and ensure sustainable funding for long-term care.<\/p>\n

Nigeria bears one of the highest burdens of sickle cell disease globally, with thousands of affected children dying before their fifth birthday due to late diagnosis and limited access to care.<\/p>\n

Experts say newborn screening remains limited across the country, leaving most cases undetected until complications occur.<\/p>\n

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The post Early screening key to reducing child deaths from sickle cell \u2014 Experts<\/a> appeared first on Healthwise<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Solomon Odeniyi The Director of the National Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Disease Research and Training, Prof. Obiageli Nnodu, … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[25],"class_list":["post-8116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","tag-health"],"yoast_head":"\nEarly screening key to reducing child deaths from sickle cell \u2014 Experts - Your Daily News Dose of the World\u2019s Hottest Headlines<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.infotekps.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/13\/early-screening-key-to-reducing-child-deaths-from-sickle-cell-experts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Early screening key to reducing child deaths from sickle cell \u2014 Experts - 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