By Lorraine Anyango and Beril Okendo

 Given the heavy burden of sickle cell in Kisumu, the Department of Health and Sanitation has committed to take deliberate steps to include sickle cell warriors in the Marwa Kisumu Solidarity health cover.

The department will also enlist all the medication needed with sickle Cell warriors under the essential drugs list hence a reduction of cost in a bid to improve the accessibility and availability of the drugs.

In the lake region, it is estimated that about 17% of children are carriers of sickle cell traits with 0.6% having sickle cell disease (SCD) while in the coastal region constituted 1% of patients with SCA. There is a paucity of data on the actual number of people living with Sickle cell disease in Kenya.

At Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), in the 12 months preceding august 2022, there were 186 inpatient admissions for people living with sickle cell disease, and over 90% of these admissions were children under the age of 14 years.

The outpatient clinic which serves as the sickle cell clinic is run every Wednesday of the week, an average of 90 patients are seen each month, giving a total of 1088 visits done in the 12 months preceding August of 2022.

No data allows follow-up on children lost, or even adolescents when they transition to adult sickle cell clinics to allow them to be actively tracked on their clinic attendance among others.

It is estimated that each year about 300 000 infants are born with major hemoglobin disorders – including more than 200 000 cases of sickle-cell anemia in Africa.  Sickle cell disease (SCD), though common throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, remains a low priority for many health ministries.

This condition is associated with very high child mortality, but reliable contemporary data is lacking. 75-85% of SCD are children born in Africa (where 50-80% of children born with the disease die before the age of 5 years). Estimates indicate SCD is responsible for 5%–16% of under-5 mortality in some areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Population-based projections indicate that the number of babies born with sickle cell is set to rise.

Speaking during the culmination of the sickle cell awareness month at JOOTRH, the county director of Public Health, Frederick Oluoch said that in collaboration with the National health insurance fund (NHIF), the department will work to ensure that sickle cell warriors are recruited into the Marwa.

He acknowledged the economic burden that warriors and their caregivers have to bear as they have a minimum of five episodes annually with an admission period of five to ten days per episode.

“Let’s form a sickle Cell Fund, so that we can raise funds to be able to manage the burden that we have in this region, we will also generate proposals that can secure resources to further manage this burden” He proposed.

Dr. George Rae, JOOTRH’s CEO said that the ‘Sickle Cell Zero’ movement established is looking into formulating Legislative bills geared towards the elimination of sickle cell in the next 15 years, the bills will also propose the right procedures in drug preparation for Sickle Cell warriors.

“We are looking forward as a movement to hold the first Sickle Cell International Conference, we will mobilize resources to completely eradicate Sickle Cell. He spoke.

The just concluded celebration marks not just the end but the beginning of a long but sure journey towards the elimination of Sickle cell disease.

In Kenya, the prevalence varies in regions and mimics malaria endemicity. In the western region, it is estimated that 18% of children are born with a Sickle Cell Trait and 4.5% with SCD.

The onset of the celebration was a walk flagged off by the first lady of Kisumu County Mama  Dorothy Nyong’o, the walk began from the Kisumu county Referral Hospital (KCRH).

The solidarity and willingness to eradicate sickle cell were demonstrated by the sickle cell warriors who came in large numbers to commemorate the day. Together with the Chief executive officer Dr. Rae, the team took the walk of strength to the JOOTRH grounds where the event was set to take place.

Various stakeholders and partners that had been involved in the process of making the day a success gave their remarks. The children Sickle cell foundation, Tumaini Sickle cell foundation, West Kenya Sickle cell support group, Kenya Red Cross Society, Regional Blood Transfusion Centre, and Kenton’s Pharmaceuticals among others were the partners that partnered with JOOTRH to make the event a success.

The warriors shared their plights while dealing with sickle cell disease. They expressed their hope in the current efforts that have been put forward and concluded in one voice that even though the destination has not been reached, there is light at the end of the tunnel.