Context

• The World Sickle Cell Day is observed on June 19 annually to raise awareness about SCD and its treatment methods.

About Sickle cell disease (SCD)

• Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder, that affect red blood cells.
• SCD cause a person’s normally round and flexible blood cells to become stiff and sickle shaped, stopping them and the oxygen they carry from moving freely around the body.
• This can cause episodes of severe pain, referred to as sickle cell crises.
• The cells die early, leaving a shortage of healthy RBC and can block blood flow causing pain, severe bacterial infections, and necrosis (tissue death).
• People with sickle cell disorders are also at a risk of complications: Stroke, acute chest syndrome, blindness, bone damage and priapism.