Mrs Stephenie Agbaje and her husband were so madly in love that they did not bother to go for a genotype test before getting married.
They believed that Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder characterised by abnormal red blood cells that take on a crescent or sickle shape and these irregularly shaped cells can cause blockages in blood vessels, leading to a variety of health.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder characterised by abnormal red blood cells that take on a crescent or sickle shape and these irregularly shaped cells can cause blockages in blood vessels, leading to a variety of health complications.
According to experts, Nigeria bears the highest burden of SCD globally and is the top sickle cell endemic country in Africa, with an annual infant death toll of about 150,000, representing more than 8 per cent of infant mortality in the country.
Also each year, around 300,000 newly diagnosed sickle cell children are born worldwide, and at least 100,000 babies in Nigeria die from the disorder, making it the number one sickle-cell endemic country in Africa, as per 2014 statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO)”, said Dr Annette Akinsete, Consultant Public Health Physician and the National Director/Chief executive officer of the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria.