It is no small news that a significant breakthrough has been made in sickle cell treatment in Nigeria, giving Nigerians living with the life-threatening disease hope of leading normal lives. The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in collaboration with the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria (SCFN) has made bone marrow transplants now available in Nigeria. Unlike some other known cures for sickle cell, bone marrow transplants are said to be able to help adult patients with sickle cell live to old age. Research over the years has improved the process greatly, limiting the side effects and complications.
According to a press release by LUTH, a post-transplant clinic was initially established in 2019 for patients who had gotten the treatment abroad. Now, due to the LUTH-SCFN alliance, the cure is now available in Nigeria.
The first set of patients were admitted in August 2024 using bone marrow stem cells from family donors and are said to have undergone successful surgeries.
It should be noted that checking the genotype compatibility of couples is still the surest known way to prevent sickle cell anaemia, as no cure is one hundred percent accurate, and even with the support by the SCFN, the cure still remains expensive and relatively unaffordable by the masses. Still, this is a milestone in the Nigerian healthcare sector as Nigeria is said to be the country with the highest number of sickle cell cases with approximately 4 million people
Credit: Aisha Egena-Aruwa | Talk Africa NG
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