Sickle cell anaemia contributes to 15 per cent deaths of children below five years in Uganda, a new report says.

The latest Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2016 recently released by the Bureau of Statistics shows that the disease, is now a major health concern and policymakers have moved to deal with it.

A nationwide survey done in 2014 showed that between 20,000 and 25,000 babies were born with sickle cell every year, with 80 per cent of them dying before the age of five.

Sickle cell anaemia is a genetic disorder that affects the red blood cells, making them unable to efficiently carry oxygen around the body. People with sickle cell have two abnormal genes: One from each of their parent. If both parents have traits, the risk of having children with sickle cell disease is very high.

Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng said the government has partnered with cultural, religious and other institutions to create awareness, especially on the need for early testing and management of the disease.

Kabaka’s birthdays
One of the institutions is the Buganda Kingdom, which has agreed to mark the Kabaka’s birthdays for the next three years with themes on sickle cell, starting on April 9, when the cultural leader Ronald Muwenda Mutebi marks his 62nd birthday.

The event — the Kabaka’s Run — is being themed on the need to create awareness and tackle other kingdom’s key priorities. Organisers say they will spend the money raised from the run in efforts to fight the sickle cell.

“There is a lot of ignorance about sickle cell with many people still believing that it is due to witchcraft or curses. Our interventions are accompanied by with sentisation campaigns to create awareness,” said Dr Aceng.

Often sickle cell patients suffer from complications like anaemia, life threatening bacterial infections, recurrent body and born pains and general organ failures and other life threatening conditions, which interfere with their normal lifestyles and work.

When attack occurs, the patient is treated according to the severity for instance, a patient may need blood transfusion for anemic conditions. Others may require intravenous fluids to treat dehydration.

Others may undergo surgical processes to remove part of the spleen.