Prevention and Management of Sickle Cell Anemia: A Medico-Social Perspective
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Date
2024-12
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Lead City University, Ibadan
Abstract
Sickle Cell Disease is an age-old disease which has been known for hundreds of years in Africa. It was known in Africa by onomatopoeic names denoting the recurrent, unrelenting, and painful nature of the disease. Although, the symptoms of the disease could be traced to 1670 in a Ghanaian family, disorders of hemoglobin synthesis were unrecognized by the scientific community until 1910. Sickle cell disease is the commonest single gene disease in Africa. It is common throughout the sub-saharan Africa, affecting up to 30% of people in some parts of the continent. Morbidity and mortality from this disease has remained unacceptably high in Africa whereas there has been a marked reduction in the burden of this disease in the developed countries. This reduction was not achieved through the use of sophisticated care such as bone marrow transplant, but through the adoption of transition programs, premarital counseling, public education, genetic education and counseling, and a Comprehensive Health Care Management protocol for sickle cell disease. This protocol of care emphasizes prevention of crises through effective management of the disease. This discourse examines the dimension of SCD, tracing its genesis and implications, its psychological impacts, national burden and the way forward. The paper also examines various strategies for preventing SCD as well as mechanisms for coping or SCD management mechanisms. As this discourse is from the perspective of Master of Social Work, the paper sheds light on the social work profession and its role in the prevention and management of SCD.
Keywords: Prevention and Management, Sickle Cell Anemia, Medico-Social Perspective
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Keywords
Prevention and Management, Sickle Cell Anemia, Medico-Social Perspective
Citation
Kate Turabia