This campaign has now closed
Infant mortality (IM) in Sierra Leone (SL) is high. And because sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a frequent cause of severe illness, it is important to determine its contribution to IM in the country. This pilot project aims to detect SCA newborns in the country & define the clinical outcomes among them
Categories
Beneficiaries
Situation
There are many factors contributing to infant mortality in Sierra Leone, among which sickle cell anemia is believed to be a major cause. But because the sickle cell status of infants is not usually known, by the time they fall ill due to its complications, appropriate treatment is delayed and babies die unnecessarily. However, if their sickle cell anemia status is known as soon as possible after birth, many of the complications and even death among these babies can be prevented
Solution
Once babies with sickle cell anemia are identified, then the preventive measures that are now commonly available can be instituted. In that way, illness and death among these babies could be considerably reduced as has happened elsewhere in the world where sickle cell is prevalent. Such a reduction would contribute to an overall reduction in infant mortality in the country.