A humanitarian organization, Seyifara Foundation, in partnership with the Oyo State Government, has called for intensified efforts to combat sickle cell disease (SCD), urging Nigerians to end the stigmatization of people living with the condition and embrace preventive measures such as genotype screening.
The appeal was made during activities marking the 2026 World Sickle Cell Day, where health experts, government officials and advocates stressed the need for stronger legislation and broader public awareness campaigns to reduce the prevalence of the inherited blood disorder.
Stakeholders at the event urged federal and state governments to enact policies that promote genotype testing, discourage marriages between genetically incompatible partners and encourage religious institutions to play a more active role in educating prospective couples.
Speaking at the event, Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reducing the burden of sickle cell disease through advocacy, public education and partnerships with non-governmental organizations.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary for Oke-Ogun Zone I, Dr. Akinfemi Akinyode, the commissioner said the state had sustained its collaboration with Seyifara Foundation to educate schoolchildren, parents and communities about the disease while providing support for individuals living with the condition.
She also called on more civil society groups, non-governmental organizations and community leaders to join efforts aimed at reducing the prevalence of sickle cell disease across the country.
Founder of Seyifara Foundation, Oluwaseyi Adediran, described sickle cell disease as a hereditary blood disorder that affects the shape and function of red blood cells, leading to severe pain episodes, chronic anemia and other life-threatening complications.
He emphasized that the disease is not contagious and occurs only when a child inherits abnormal hemoglobin genes from both parents.
According to Adediran, increased public awareness and premarital genotype screening remain among the most effective strategies for reducing the number of children born with the condition.
He urged religious organizations to support public health campaigns by educating intending couples about the importance of knowing their genotype compatibility before marriage.
Adediran said the foundation’s annual collaboration with the Oyo State Government is focused on increasing awareness, reducing discrimination against people living with the disease and advocating improved access to quality healthcare services.
Addressing the 2026 World Sickle Cell Day theme, “Closing the Survival Gap: Equity in Sickle Cell Disease,” he noted that Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for between 66% and 80% of the global burden of sickle cell disease despite receiving a disproportionately small share of healthcare resources.
He said Nigeria bears the highest burden of the disease worldwide, recording approximately 150,000 births of children with sickle cell disease each year and more than 40 million carriers of the sickle cell trait.
Health advocates at the event stressed that reducing the disease burden will require coordinated efforts involving government agencies, healthcare providers, religious institutions, educational organizations and community leaders.
They also called for greater investment in screening programs, public awareness campaigns and healthcare infrastructure to improve survival rates and quality of life for people living with sickle cell disease.
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