Every year, Kenya joins the rest of the world to mark Sickle Cell Disease Day.
The day is marked on June 19 of every year to raise awareness and increase public knowledge and understanding about the disease.
This year, the day was organised under the theme, 'Hope through progress: Advancing Sickle Cell care globally.'
Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the disease is a common genetic condition due to a hemoglobin disorder.
The disease is common across Kenya with high disease burden pockets in Western, Nyanza and Coast regions, affecting 17 counties.
However, with migration and intermarriage, the condition is being increasingly reported in other regions.
Healthy red blood cells are round and they move through small blood vessels carrying oxygen to all parts of the body.
But in SCD, the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like the C-shaped farm tool sickle.
According to data by the Ministry of Health, it is estimated that 14,000 children are born with sickle cell disease in Kenya annually.
From that number, about 7,000 die before reaching their fifth birthday.
In the absence of routine newborn screening and appropriate treatment, it is estimated that 50 to 90 per cent of those born with the condition die undiagnosed before their fifth birthday in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Early intervention for preventable problems with pain medication, antibiotics, nutrition, folic acid supplementation and high fluid intake are some of the treatment options available.
Long-term treatment with hydroxyurea has decreased the rate of painful crises and improved the quality of life of patients with sickle-cell anaemia.
Regular blood transfusion associated with iron chelation can prevent complications.
People carrying blood disorder genes for diseases such as haemophilia and Sickle Cell are encouraged to intermarry with those without to reduce the chances passing the condition to their children.
Early screening for such blood disorders is also encouraged to ensure the problems are picked early to reduce cases of mortality.
