Kano, Oyo, Lagos, Osun, Top 20% Of Nigerian Children Living With Sickle Cell – NDHS Report
BY AMEH IDUJAGI, JALINGO – The 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) report has revealed that the prevalence rate of sickle cell disease is above two per cent with Kano, Oyo, Lagos and Osun topping the list of highest cases of sickle cell in the country.
This is as the report indicated that 20 per cent of Nigerian children between ages six months and four years are living with sickle cell traits in the country.
The Acting Chairman, National Population Commission (NPC), Mrs Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, announced this at the launch of the Taraba State report of NDHS in Jalingo on Thursday.
Represented by the Federal Commissioner in the commission, Mallam Sani Sule Sale, NPC boss said Nigeria for the first time in the world, piloted the genotype testing of children ages 6-59 for sickle cell disease.
She said that genotype testing was carried out in a sub-sample of more than 11,000 children, adding that 41, 821 women ages 15-49 in 40,427 households and 13,311 men ages 15-59 in one third of the households were interviewed.
Mrs Salu-Hundeyin expressed hope that the Taraba State government and other data earned users would find the report useful for development of the State and the country.
In her own remarks, the State Director, National Population Commission (NPC), Mrs.Shirley Yurma, said the report provided up-to-date estimate on the basic demographic and health indicators in the country and urged relevant agencies to use the report judiciously for the good of the country.
Yurma said that the 2018 National Demographic and Health Survey report was the sixth conducted in Nigeria since 1990 and was conducted in every five years.
The Taraba State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Haruna Manu, unveiled the state NDHS at the event.
