Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Gandune has expressed concern over the rising cases of sickle cell anaemia in the state, describing it as a health concern that needs urgent action.
A statement issued by Malam Hassan Musa Fagge, the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor Kano State, stated that the state government would soon embark on public awareness programmes through the newly created emirates to educate the public on the dangers of Sickle-Cell anaemia.
The Governor stated this when he received a delegation of the Sickle-Cell Consortium on a Courtesy Visit in his office.
The Governor represented by his Deputy Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna explained that even though efforts had been made to create awareness on how to reduce the spread of the disease, Kano state government would collaborate with the Sickle-Cell Consortium to embark on massive public campaigns.
“Sickle-Cell anaemia is something that definitely we need to make awareness to address it’s burdens. Some people use to take the issue of Sickle-Cell very lightly more especially the couples when it comes to marriage, they simply avoid doing genotype” he noted.
He maintained that with creation of the new Emirates, Kano state government would design a programme with the help of Sickle-Cell Consortia where a team of professionals would be going round to meet with people in the community to enlighten them on its preventive measures.
The leader of the delegation Dr. Zubaida Farouk Ladan disclosed “Out of the six million persons that live with the disease in Nigeria, 400,000 of them are from Kano.
According to her “ Murtala Muhammad specialists Hospital alone, has 17,000 Sickle-Cell Patients that have registered, if you combine Murtala, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospiatal, Nassarawa and Hasiya Bayero Hospitals, they estimated at about 31,000 Sickle-Cell Patients who registered to show how the problem is in Kano,“ she said.
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