World Sickle Cell Day 2020: All about its history and details of the blood disorder

Since 2008, every year on June 19, World Sickle Cell Day is celebrated in order to raise public awareness about the Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and the struggles the victim of the disease and their families have to go through. The day was chosen to commemorate and recognising SCD as a public health concern. According to medical experts, SCD affects millions of people all around the world including both children and adults.

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Sickle Cell Disease is a potentially fatal disease and according to the World Health Organisation, SCD is one of the main causes of premature deaths under the age of five in various African countries. On World Sickle Cell Day, health groups all-around support and hold special educational programs and celebrations for SCD treatment. People all across the globe on World Sickle Cell Day are advised to research more about the illness and its signs and symptoms to understand its global impact.

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World Sickle Cell Day History

On December 22, 2008, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that recognised sickle cell disease as a public health problem. On June 19, 2009, the world celebrated its very first World Sickle Cell Day. The main aim behind creating World Sickle Day was to warn people and raise awareness on how SCD can affect people’s life using global platforms. World Sickle Cell Day also highlights the treatment, surgical and medical, that is available for the patients suffering from sickle cell disease.

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What is Sickle cell disease?

Sickle Cell disease in medical terms is a group of blood disorders that is typically inherited from one’s parents. The most common type of SCD is known to be Sickle cell anaemia (SCA). SCA results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blood cells of the human body. Problems in sickle cell disease begin to arise around 5 to 6 months of age. It results in the development of various health problems like anaemia, stroke, bacterial infections, swelling in the feet and hands & many more. The care of people with sickle cell disease may include infection prevention with vaccination and antibiotics, high fluid intake, folic acid supplementation, and pain medication.

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