The wife of the Abia state Governor, Mrs Nkechi Victor Ikpeazu, has described sickle cell disease as a terrible killer, saying her pet foundation; Vicar Hope Foundation is doing more to sensitize people on the need to know their genotype.
Mrs. Ikpeazu made this disclosure at Micheal Okpara Auditorium in Umuahia during this year, 2016 world sickle cell awareness day. According to the first Lady of Abia State, Vicar Hope Foundation is dedicated in fighting this disease.
Delivering his speech at the event, the Commissioner for Health, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Nkwachukwu Agomuo, urged sickle cell patients in Abia to form a group, adding that establishing sickle cell screening facilities in the three senatorial zones would go a long way in assisting the sufferers.
The Chairman of the event, Dr.Godwin Okafor, described sickle cell disease as an inherited genetic disorder which could be transferred from parents to their offspring. According to him, Sickle cell is common in Nigeria and Ghana, adding that one in every four Nigerians is a carrier. He urged people to stop stigmatizing sickle cell patients.
One of the Speakers at the event, Dr Oluchi Ukoha, said Nigeria has the highest number of people living with sickle cell, adding that the intervention of the wife of the Governor is a milestone in the fight against sickle cell. She said getting some of the screening machines such as HPLC and MRI would aid in the management of the disease in Abia state, even as she stated that with optimum care the sickle cell patients’ tender to live quality life and that their life span depends mostly on their care.
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