On August 25 2022, The Richard Coker Foundation, in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Health, held an SCD Awareness Seminar at the Lagos State Skills Acquisition Centre, Aga, Ikorodu. The participants were lecturers and admin staff as well as students ranging in age from 15 to 50.
Representing RCF, Ayoola Olajide, Editor, Sickle Cell News, launched into the ABCs of blood and its components, with emphasis on red blood cells (RBC).
‘The challenge of SCD lies principally in the misshapen RBC and their short lifespan,’ he remarked.
LSMOH, represented by Mr. Sola Henry, Mrs. Janet and Mrs. Tosin Akin-Brandon provided kits for Point of Care genotype verification.
A good number of participants already knew their genotype, so the test was conducted on 51 who were unaware of theirs.
Results
The Hb test results closely mirrored the statistics for sickling epidemiology in Africa’s most populous nation, i.e, 25% of the population harbour an abnormal gene:
HbAA = 38
HbAS = 09
HbAC = 03
HbSC = 01
HbSS = 01
Total: 52
About Lagos State Skills Acquisition Centre which RCF supports.
Numbering more than 17, the Skills Acquisition Centres were established as a Unit under the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) to provide free technical and vocational education to residents.
Apart from the core disciplines of Computer, Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning, Bricklaying, carpentry, Vulcanizing, Painting, Hairdressing and others, SAC also has classes for Adult Education and Literacy.