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The Rotary Club, Oyo State has launched a booklet to create more awareness on Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD) and kick-start a fight to end the disease in Nigeria.
Dr Goddy Nnadi, the Rotary District Governor 2022/2023, District 9125, unveiled the booklet in Ibadan at an event organised by the Rotary Oyo State, Sickle Cell Disorder Awareness Campaign.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project was supported by 11 Rotary clubs in the state.
Nnadi said it was very important to create awareness and advocacy for people to understand what sickle cell was all about.
According to him, Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) was discovered in 1910, but it’s more of a black man disease and it kills many people in Africa and around the world and it is avoidable.
“I am the first District Governor that has created a committee to handle sickle cell disease, because I know that it is a problem for the society and Rotary has so many ways to intervene in making sure that people are okay.
“I thought it would be good to have a committee to deal with the issue of advocacy and awareness, so that people can avoid those situations that cause death in our young children.
“So, we formed a national committee. Luckily, the Chairman of the committee is a lady who also is a sickle cell carrier and struggles all the time, but also serves as a President of a Rotary Club and did very well within her year.
“I felt using somebody that is having the experience would make more impact and we have representatives in every zone.
“The document produced is such that anybody who reads it would have enough information on how to avoid the sickle cell problem, which is by first of all, having the knowledge,” Nnadi said.
He lamented that some Nigerians do not even know their genotype, not to talk of which one matches what, which can give them information on who to marry.
“We believe this document will help families across Nigeria as long as they read it and understand what it is all about,” Nnadi said.
Also, Mr Samuel Kolawole, the Oyo State Coordinator, Sickle Cell Disorder Awareness Committee, Rotary District 9125, said the idea to compile awareness nuggets on sickle cell disorder was borne by the interest Nigerians showed during the commemoration of Sickle Cell Disorder Month celebrated in September.
“We found that people were interested in the information shared on social media platforms and were responding that it was very helpful.
“Hence, we decided in Oyo State to produce a booklet to raise awareness, because many people don’t know what sickle cell disorder is all about, ” Kolawole said.
He said that many families had experienced loss of children under five years linking it to spiritual causes and even, children falling ill often and thought it was something out of the ordinary that was the cause, not knowing that it was their ignorance of sickle cell disorder.
“Those who were not supposed to connect, connected (married). So, we decided to produce this booklet to raise awareness.
“This is the first step in eradicating the disease. We are going to reach out to people on social media through e-version and producing videoso enlighten more people on what sickle cell is all about and also use traditional media to reach Nigerians.”
Kolawole said the Rotary in Oyo State would organise Genotype tests for Nigerians, especially for young people to catch them early before they get involved in relationships.
He said that more copies of the booklet would be shared to other states of the Federation due to the positive responses received from people.
“Just like Rotary was involved in ending polio, we also want to kick-start this fight against sickle cell. Not only that if we also support those who are living with this disorder.
“This is because many of them every now and then, they had to deal with one form of sickness or the other and it has not been a easy one for them to be in regular employment because they will always fall sick,” Kolawole said.
He said some of the victims need to be empowered to be able to do things on their own; so that when they are not feeling so strong they can be back at home.
Kolawole called for increased policy advocacy in Nigeria so that they can recognise the challenges that these warriors, as we call them now, face in terms of their health.
“So, that they can be accommodated whenever they need to take care of themselves and are not available to do the regular work they are supposed to do,” he said.
Also, Rabi Maidunama, a sickle cell warrior and District Chairman of the committee, through a virtual interface, said that in Nigeria, over 150,000 babies were born annually with sickle cell disorder.
Maidunama called for a concerted effort to raise awareness of the disease, adding that out of every four Nigerians is either a carrier of sickle cell genotype or had a sickle cell disorder. (NAN)