By Kudakwashe Pembere and Michael Gwarisa
A survey done by Sickle Cell Anemia Trust Zimbabwe (SCATZ) at a clinic launched nine months ago in Bindura found over 500 new sickle cell anemia cases, HealthTimes has learnt.
Speaking to this publication after a National AIDS Council (NAC) organized media workshop in Chinhoyi said these were mostly children.
“The Ministry of Health and Child Care has been very supportive to us. We actually went there and they told us that the condition was prevalent,” she said.
“Following the launch of the clinic by the then Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr John Mangwiro in July last year, we screened and found that there 523 people with the condition and these were mostly children.”
She said it is amiss to claim this condition as a rare disease.
““Though sickle cell is documented as rare globally, with 75% of sickle cell patients in Africa, can we say it is rare? With at least more than 10% of the Zimbabwean population, can we say sickle cell is rare? Right? It’s not a rare disease.
“I think we are just not looking for it. But I believe if we start looking for it and we start screening for sickle cell, things would be different. I believe it can only be managed through early diagnosis and correct management.
“In Zimbabwe, sickle cell studies have not been done yet, but after realising the large numbers of sickle cell patients reporting to hospitals in Mashonaland Central province and Mutoko, SCATZ partnered with local laboratories and have been doing free sickle cell screening for every child that enters Bindura Hospital,” Chima said.
Testing in Mashonaland Central and East provinces revealed a high prevalence of sickle cell anaemia among children, with positive results in roughly two out of five cases.
“This has caused us to believe that at least 10% of the Zimbabwean population is living with sickle cell anaemia,” said Ms Chima.
According to Ms. Chima, the disorder has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the most serious hereditary diseases globally, with 75% of patients being African citizens. Every year, more than 100,000 children are born with sickle cell anemia; of them, 75% pass away from linked diseases before they turn five.
“In the region, the majority of children with the most severe form of the disease die before the age of five, usually from an infection or severe blood loss.
“In countries such as Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Gabon and Nigeria the prevalence rate is between 20% to 30% while in some parts of Uganda it is as high as 45%.”
Describing what sickle cell is, Ms Chima said its symptoms are characterized by what is called a pain crisis.
She said one of the patients described it as a tractor running over their joins causing excruciating pain.
SCATZ says it is dedicated to working together to find a cure for the condition, which has forced some African traditions to forbid marriages between couples who have genetic traces of the condition. Despite the fact that there is currently no cure for the condition, some people have resorted to blood transfusions and bone marrow transplants in times of pain crises.
Ms Chima provided an example of how expensive sickle cell anemia management can be by stating that she needs to spend between US$45 and US$60 a month on sedatives and painkillers, an expense that many impoverished Zimbabweans cannot afford.
Although the condition does not have a cure with a few resorting to blood transfusions and bone marrow transplants in cases of crises, SCATZ says it is committed to collaborations inorder to find a panacea to end the disease, which has forced some African countries to stop couples with genetic traces of the condition from marrying each other.
Illustrating how costly managing sickle cell anaemia can be, Chima requires between US$45 and US$60 to buy painkillers and other sedatives each month, a need many struggling Zimbabweans cannot afford.
She emphasized the necessity of passing legislation or establishing policies to screen for sickle cell anemia in all people entering basic healthcare facilities, just as this is done for other illnesses including cancer, HIV, and tuberculosis.
“In a nation where the number of new infections of HIV is still significant, there is a strong possibility of a sickle cell anaemia patient being infected with HIV and, if treatment is not cognisant of the presence of SCD, there is a very high risk to the patient,” warned Chima.
In keeping with this, SCATZ established its first Sickle Anaemia Clinic, which is located within Bindura Provincial Hospital providing screening, information, medication and after-care support.
Chima urged the media to fulfill its educational duty in raising awareness, stating that the illness is wreaking “silent havoc” in communities.
“Zimbabwe is recording more sickle cell cases, albeit without deliberate diagnostics and tests carried out on patient observation. Though the condition is documented as rare globally, it is a complex and permanent condition that is genetically inherited and whose life-threatening effects can only be managed through early correct diagnosis and specialised care thereafter. I am appealing to journalists to tell the story and make a difference” she said.
Ms Chima also said they partnered with Parirenyatwa Group Of Hospitals’ Mbuya Nehanda Maternity Hospital for the screening of sickle cell anemia in babies.
NAC communications director, Madeline Dube proposed screening for sickle cell to be introduced even at birth challenging the Ministry of Health and Child Care to look into the matter.
With sickle cell disease, an inherited group of disorders, red blood cells twist into a sickle shape. The cells die early, leaving a shortage of healthy red blood cells (sickle cell anaemia) and can block blood flow causing pain (sickle cell crisis) and other serious complications (health problems) such as infection, acute chest syndrome and stroke.
Infections, pain and fatigue are symptoms of sickle cell disease.Treatments include medication, and blood transfusions.
