SICKLE Cell Disease World Day, to be observed on June 19, is aimed at creating global awareness of the sickness and its growing public health problem.
As a result, various events are planned to observe the United Nations declared occasion.
Among them, Guyana Sickle Cell Association (GSCA), in an effort to make the public aware of the ailment and the treatments available, will be hosting a workshop on Saturday, June 19, in the Guyana Nurses Association (GNA) building at Alexander and Charlotte Streets.
Formed in 1997, GCSA is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation (NGO) that seeks to ensure that afflicted persons are being cared for at health institutions whenever they are in crisis or pain.
Mr. Errol London, of GCSA, said their goal is to develop national protocols to deal with the ramifications of the disease at every health institution in the country.
“This is a condition which is not widely researched in Guyana and it is safe to say that it is affecting a significant number of persons,” he said, expressing concern over the fact that not enough is being done to promote awareness about it and its impacts on society.
“Emphasis is placed on other conditions like diabetes and hypertension and a lot of people are not aware of what sickle cell disease is,” London claimed.
He said, in keeping with their mission statement, to educate the public at large, especially women of child bearing age, on the disease and provide services to affected persons and their families, GCSA meets on the second Saturday of every month in the GNA building.
Sickle Cell Anaemia is a genetic blood disorder, affecting millions of persons globally. It results in abnormally shaped red blood cells which are responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body and a disruption in the flow can result in severe complications like organ failure and premature death.
It is an important public health issue because most persons affected are unaware of the affection in their genes until a child is born to two parents who suffer from the trait and subsequently develops sickle cell disease.
Sickle cell, unlike other medical conditions, is not contagious but is hereditary and, although there is no widely available cure for it, there are treatments for its symptoms and complications.