Addressing the global health burden of sickle cell disease

A review of the clinical manifestations of sickle cell disease (SCD), available therapeutic interventions and a necessarily limited assessment of progress with their implementation in Nigeria (the country with the largest number of affected individuals worldwide) was recently published in this journal. Despite a disappointing dearth of targeted therapy for a condition whose molecular basis has been well understood for half a century, there is a wealth of evidence-based supportive interventions, including antibiotic and vaccination prophylaxis against early bacteraemic mortality, childhood stroke risk prevention, patient and population education and screening and community care provision that are simple and inexpensive to implement. There is a real opportunity for international collaboration to drive an improvement in healthcare provision for this condition.