There is one crisis that has been hiding in plain sight, and its toll is heavier than we dare admit. It is sickle cell disease (SCD). Many associate it with random health talks or blood donation drives, but the reality is far more urgent.

During a June 2025 interview with Vanguard newspaper, Dr Maureen Achebe of Harvard school said that an estimated 150,000 babies are born with it every year in Nigeria. This is more than anywhere in the world.

And yet, for a country so deeply affected, it is only been whispered about, a condition that is making so much noise in hospitals, homes, and bloodlines.

A crisis flowing through the blood

Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder that causes red blood cells to become rigid and crescent-shaped. These misshapen cells block blood flow, causing intense pain, organ damage, and in severe cases, death. Most people with SCD in Nigeria experience repeated crises starting from childhood.

In Nigeria, it is estimated that between 50 per cent and 80 per cent of children born with SCD die before their fifth birthday, which could be from preventable complications like anaemia or infections. Despite its prevalence, SCD is still cloaked in misunderstanding. Too often, it is written off as a personal burden instead of a national health emergency. Diagnosis is often delayed, and treatment depends on luck, privileges or prayers. For many families today navigating health system with a sickle cell child, it is a series of bricks and walls, long queues, low awareness, and high cost.

The cost of looking away

Dr Achebe also sounded the alarm on cost, stating that sickle cell in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria inclusive, is expected to surge from US$9.1 billion to $10.2 billion by 2030. Meanwhile, families continue to bear unimaginable emotional trauma, huge medical debts, and stigma.

The National Guideline for the control and management of sickle cell disease exist, yes. But implementation is sluggish. Many suffer in silence especially when a child dies and no one talks about the cause of the child passing so early in life.

Despite the numbers, Nigeria’s response to sickle cell has been haphazard, at best. Genetic screening is not mandatory before couples sign the dotted lines. Most antenatal clinics do not offer SCD counselling. Postnatal care rarely includes structured follow up for affected children and there is little public health message, and even less political will.

A 2021 study published in the Nigerian Journal of Medicine found that 22.9 per cent of postpartum women in Nigeria showed signs of depression partly due to stress of managing health challenges like SCD in a new-born.

Also Read: What the life expectancy of an average Nigerian will be 25 years from now

What needs to change?

Unpacking the crisis requires more than statistics. It demands a shift in national consciousness and systemic accountability. First, universal genotype screening must be made accessible for all couples planning to get married, supported by public campaigns that encourage honest conversations.

Early intervention is key. The acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Professor Patricia Lar, on her part, emphasised that voluntary pre-marital screening is a crucial step in preventing sickle cell disease. Every new-born should be screened for sickle cell disorder at birth and be taken into the proper care unit.

Recognising the emotional toll that this disease places on family is important. Raising a child with SCD can be overwhelming and isolating. Mental health support, counselling, and peer communities should be integrated into care models. The National Assembly must move beyond token observances of World Sickle Cell Day and develop robust policies for research, funding, and care delivery. It is time for policy action. Nigeria also needs robust national policies that prioritise research funding, improve access to healthcare, and ensure that sickle cell care is available, not only in cities, but in every local government across the country.

Sickle cell disease is woven into Nigeria’s story and lives in the blood of people, and silence around it speaks volume about how we handle pain, grief and illness. But it does not have to be this way.

Above prevention, the age-old saying that prevention is better than cure should be the theme of any sickle cell campaign. That love between couples, no matter how strong and deep, can be frontally challenged when they have a child with SCD. Most relationships are not able to withstand the trauma it brings.

It is, therefore, far better to be aware and prevent furthering the burden of SCD in the society.

Anita Chinedu