Military Hospital Sokoto (MHS) has carried out a sensitization campaign on sickle cell diseases (SCD) to some secondary school in the state capital.
The Outreach followed the large number of cases recorded during patients’ visit to the hospital.
The Director MHS, Col. Godwin Ogoh made this known in Sokoto. According to him, the programme includes health talk on sickle cell diseases, free genotype screening and consultation. The theme of the awareness campaign is “catch them young”, that is why it starting from secondary schools”.
The director who was represented by the Chief Clinician MHS Sokoto, Capt. Jonathan Edimek, lamented that Nigeria has the highest sickle cell burden in the world with about 150, 000 sickle cell births annually.
He described SCD as a group of inherited red blood cell disorders and stressed the need to avoid the birth of children with SS genotype by ensuring premarital screening and genetic counseling.
“Three hundred thousand infants are born with sickle cell anemia in Africa every year, with Nigeria accounting for about half of this, “he added.
Col. Godwin Ogoh expressed hope that the awareness campaign would educate students on how to choose their life partners and raise the standard of health in the state and beyond.
Aliyu Umar
For: Head of Centre
Sokoto
