Marriage decisions can be the key to reducing Ghana’s alarming sickle cell disease rates, according to Professor Alex Osei Akoto, Principal Investigator of the Patient-centred Approaches to Care and Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease (PACTS) in sub-Sa­haran Africa.

He has, therefore, urged the youth to strive to know their sickle cell status before getting married, given the fact that 2 per cent of all newborns in Ghana are diag­nosed with sickle cell disease.

“When two individuals with the sickle cell trait (AS) marry, they face a 25 per cent chance of having a child with the full disease (SS) with each pregnancy. When people are aware of their status, they can make informed decisions about their partners. This isn’t about restricting peo­ple’s choices but empowering them with knowledge that can affect generations to come,” Prof. Akoto explained.

He spoke to The Spectator during a stakeholder meeting to discuss a study conducted across six hospitals in the Kumasi metropolitan area on how best to treat and manage the disease.

Prof. Akoto noted that peo­ple in sub-Saharan Africa were the largest carriers of the dis­ease as “the gene emanates from black Africa.”

But early detection, he stressed, was key for inter­ventions and reiterated the call for all to know their status.

Prof. Akoto urged clinicians to stick to protocols in the treatment of the disease, stressing the importance “to adhere strictly to established guidelines to ensure optimal care for sickle cell patients.”

The study conducted at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hos­pital (KATH), KNUST, Manhyia, Asokwa, Kumasi South, and Kumasi Metro Hospitals, found that some clinicians were not following standard care protocol.

Dr Lawrence Osei-Tutu, a pediatrician and specialist in sickle cell treatment associat­ed with the project, highlight­ed their innovative approach.

“We are using a unique approach of harnessing the involvement of both patients, families, community, and clinicians to look at how best to treat and manage the dis­ease,” said Dr Osei-Tutu.

He further indicated that one of the most promising developments during the study involved pharmaceuti­cal adaptations for younger patients/children.

Dr Osei-Tutu also empha­sised that the interventions depended critically on early detection. Without timely diagnosis, even the most inno­vative treatments lose much of their efficacy.

“We’re trying to improve the lives of patients by improving what we do at the hospitals. This improvement extends beyond medical pro­cedures to encompass family support systems, communi­ty awareness, and patient education,” explained Dr Osei-Tutu.

The project recently brought together key stake­holders from across the healthcare spectrum to delib­erate on optimising treatment protocols.

This collaborative approach represents a shift in how genetic diseases are managed in Ghana, moving from a pure­ly medical model to a more integrated social-medical framework.

Despite these promising de­velopments, significant chal­lenges remain in Ghana’s fight against sickle cell disease.

Limited resources, geo­graphical barriers to health­care access, stigmatisation, and low awareness continue to hamper efforts to reduce the disease burden.

As Ghana continues to address the high prevalence of sickle cell disease, experts emphasised that knowledge remains the most powerful tool in this fight.

 From Kingsley E. Hope, Ku­masi