Uganda Sickle Surveillance Study (US-3)

It is estimated that over 250,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease (SCD) annually in sub-Saharan Africa, and only 10% - 50% of them survive beyond five years of age. Data describing the magnitude of the sickle cell problem are lacking in most African countries. The available data on prevalence were mainly from older studies and small numbers of hospitalized patients. In Uganda, approximately 25,000 children are born with SCD but 70-80% die before their 5th birthday. Lehmann and Raper found 'sicklaemia' prevalence of 0.8% and 45% in the Sebei and Bambaa ethnic groups, respectively. A recent study found a SCT and SCD prevalence of 3% - 19% and 0% - 3%, respectively but this study addressed only 5 of Uganda's 111 districts and used a small convenience sample of children aged 6 - 60 months. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence and map out the burden of SCT and SCD in Uganda.