Health experts push for nationwide newborn screening as Ghana marks 30 years of sickle cell detection

Ghanaian health experts are urging the country to broaden newborn screening for sickle cell disease, as the condition affects more than half of affected children who could die before the age of five without early diagnosis and proper care. This plea comes as Ghana commemorates three decades of newborn screening for the genetic disorder, with health officials raising concerns over limited access to testing and the nation's dependence on donor funding to maintain screening programs.

Professor Isaac Odame, Head of Haematology at the Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto’s Centre for Global Child Health, emphasized the importance of early detection and simple medical interventions in preventing the majority of sickle cell disease-related fatalities. He noted that one in every 50 babies born in Ghana carries the sickle cell disease, underscoring the critical need for widespread screening to save lives.

During an event marking the 30th anniversary of newborn screening in Ghana, Prof. Odame stressed the necessity of expanding screening efforts to reach more infants across the country. He warned that without early detection, children with the condition face a significantly higher risk of dying before their fifth birthday. "If you don’t screen them or test them, more than half of them will die before the age of five years," he cautioned, highlighting the life-saving potential of newborn screening.

However, Prof. Odame expressed concern over the limited availability of newborn screening services in Ghana, with only a few health facilities currently offering the service. He also pointed to funding challenges, noting that existing programmes heavily rely on donor support. "This screening is a life-saving intervention, but as we speak in Ghana, only a few centres do the screening, and even where it is being done, it is dependent on donor funding," he lamented, calling for sustainable funding and government commitment to make newborn screening more accessible.

Diana Baidoo, a haematology nurse specialist at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, echoed the experts' concerns, sharing that approximately 1.8 per cent of babies tested through the hospital’s screening programme have been found to have sickle cell disease. This statistic aligns with previous findings, indicating that about two out of every 100 babies tested have the condition.

Baidoo warned that delayed diagnosis could expose affected children to severe health complications, including stroke and infections, which could ultimately be fatal. She stressed the importance of early identification to enable timely medical attention and prevent complications from arising.