By Shadrach Aziz Kamara
In commemoration of the World Sickle Cell Day, the Sickle Smart Foundation has on Friday 18th June 2021 organized a one day work shop to raised awareness and educate the general public on sickle cell or Thalassaemia trait, at the Africell American Corner on Bathurst street Freetown.
The work shop attracted the attentions of sickle cell warriors, Parents and the Media.
In a power point presentation, the founder of Sickle Smart Foundation, Madam Kadie Emma Deen a fifty one years old mother of fourteen years old child and a sickle cell warriors defined Sickle Cell or Thalassaemia disease as a serious contiguous disease that affects the red blood cells, adding by stating that the Sickle Cell can be inherited from parents.
She said that Sickle Cell or Thalassaemia disorders affects the haemoglobin, which she said that is a part of the blood that carries oxygen around the body. She maintained that Sickle Cell or Thalassaemia can be inherited from parents and someone that is a carrier of the disease may now aware. She said that in a case where one parent is a carrier, the child will not inherit the disorder but they can be a carrier. She added that Sickle Cell affects the quality of haemoglobin red blood cell and can cause serious problem including chronic pain. She highlighted some of the common problems face by sickle cell or Thalassaemia, these problems, she said include anemia, difficulty in handling iron and pain could be all over the body, damages to joints especially hips and shoulders, the excess of broken down red blood cells.
People with Thalassaemia, she said needs blood transfusion every three to four weeks. She concluded by saying that penicillin is good to prevent infections folic acid to help produce red blood cells and immunization against infections for the bones.
