Experts advocate newborn screening to curb sickle cell deaths

Haematologists have called for a nationwide scale-up of newborn screening for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), saying delayed diagnosis has continued to fuel preventable child deaths across the country.

The appeal was made in Abuja at the Nigeria Inherited Blood Disorders Leadership Forum organised by the Nigeria Society for Haematology and Blood Transfusion, where experts stressed that early detection remained the most cost-effective strategy for tackling the hereditary blood disorder.

Speaking at the forum, Prof Nora Akinola, a consultant haematologist, said Nigeria remained ill-equipped for widespread newborn screening, urging policymakers to prioritise prevention over costly curative care.

She noted that many families could not afford long-term treatment, making early diagnosis through affordable point-of-care testing the most sustainable solution.

Also speaking, Prof Obiageli Nnodu, the director of the National Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Disease Research and Training at the University of Abuja, said early screening and standardised care significantly reduced under-five mortality. She warned that Nigeria still relied on estimates rather than population-based data due to the absence of universal newborn screening.

Other experts, including Dr Christiana Udo of the National Hospital, Abuja and Dr Oche Otalu of the National Health Insurance Authority, called for the integration of comprehensive SCD services into primary health care and health insurance packages to ensure early intervention, reduce catastrophic health spending and improve long-term outcomes.

In her presentation, Halima Bello-Manga, a consultant haematologist from the Kaduna State University, on bridging the gap in access to essential treatments, said poor access could lead to severe pain crisis, repeated hospitalization, early deaths and poor quality life.

She noted that emerging therapies for sickle cell disease were shifting from symptom management to curative, disease modifying and gene-based interventions.

SCD, a hereditary disorder characterised by abnormal haemoglobin production and recurrent painful crises, remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing public health challenges.

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