Africa’s health agency has called for urgent action on sickle cell disease, warning that most of the 300,000 children born with the condition each year on the continent die before their fifth birthday, despite affordable and effective treatments.

This must change. Through the initiative “A New Day for Children with Sickle Cell Disease”, Africa CDC is determined to integrate Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) into primary healthcare, strengthen prevention and early detection, expand access to affordable medicines, and give every child the chance to live a full and productive life.  

Sickle cell disease is the world’s most common inherited blood disorder, mainly found in sub-Saharan Africa. Survivors often experience lifelong pain, disability, and economic hardship, while the disease places a significant burden on families and health services. However, interventions such as newborn screening, immunisation, antibiotic prophylaxis, malaria prevention, and hydroxyurea therapy have been proven to save lives.  

The Africa CDC stated that its new initiative will build upon its Non-Communicable Diseases, Injuries, and Mental Health Promotion Strategy (2022–2026), which aims to strengthen policies, enhance funding, and increase access to essential technologies and medicines across the continent. It also supports earlier African Union (AU) commitments, including a 2005 World Health Assembly decision recognising sickle cell disease as a public health priority.

This year, the Africa CDC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Texas Children’s Global to expand primary healthcare services for children, improve access to diagnostics, medicines, and vaccines, and train healthcare workers to respond more effectively to childhood diseases.

The AU Member States were encouraged to endorse the AU Common Position on Non-Communicable Diseases, Injuries, and Mental Health at the 2026 Summit in Libya and to commit to implementing the Multisectoral Engagement, Coordination, and Action (MECA) framework. Other priorities included elevating sickle cell disease within national and continental health agendas, integrating services into primary healthcare and universal coverage, expanding pooled procurement and local manufacturing of medicines, and finalising a continental strategy for SCD control by the end of 2025.

(Source: CDC-Africa)