Blog #3

An article was written about Dr. Bosede Afolabi through the African Voices program titled "Nigerian Doctor Fighting Killer Blood Disease". The African Voices Program focuses on African people who doing things behind the scenes to help make a difference in their communities. Dr. Afolabi is an obstetrician and a gynecologist working and studying in Lagos, Nigeria to understand the effect of sickle anemia and the affect it has on pregnant women and their babies. Approximately two hundred thousand babies are born each year in Africa with sickle cell anemia. Dr. Afolabi accesses many pregnant women that come to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) two times a week. Sickle cell anemia, also known as SS is a type of anemia that is inherited. Twenty- five percent of Nigerians carry the sickle cell anemia gene so it is obviously very prevalent in the African population. Sickle cell anemia is a disorder where there aren’t enough beneficial red blood cells to transport sufficient oxygen through an individual’s body. In individuals that have sickle cell anemia their red blood cells have the shape of sickles or crescent moons. In this case the red blood cells get wedged in the small blood vessel which constricts the blood and oxygen course. There are several negative aspects that can occur with sickle cell anemia such as serious bacterial infections, the death of tissue and more. Although there isn’t much research done on pregnant women with this disease we do know that in order for a child to be born with sickle cell anemia, both parents have to have the gene. The life expectancy rate for this illness is still significantly low but is around late forties to early fifties. I definitely think that this is a global issue because it affects a large amount of Africans as well as people of color. It also affects people close to the Mediterranean and it is known that people in tropical areas have a higher chance of having sickle cell anemia. There is a large population of Nigerians that struggle with sickle cell anemia and Dr. Afolabi is trying to close the gap in research by studying women that are pregnant and have sickle cell anemia.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/11/world/africa/bosede-afolabi-sickle-cell-anemia/index.html?hpt=iaf_mid

Antiqua Thurston 2/15/13 9:53