The Non-Malignant Channel on VJHemOnc is an independent medical education platform, supported with funding from Agios (Gold). Supporters have no influence on the production of content. The levels of sponsorship listed are reflective of the amount of funding given.
The Sickle Cell Disease Channel on VJHemOnc is an independent medical education platform, supported with funding from Agios (Gold). Supporters have no influence on the production of content. The levels of sponsorship listed are reflective of the amount of funding given.
EHA 2021 | Systematic, point-of-care newborn screening for SCD in Mali
Alan Anderson, MD, Prisma Health, Columbia, SC, gives an overview of a study assessing the feasibility and efficacy of systematic point-of-care newborn screening for sickle cell disease (SCD) at a rural hospital in Mali, a land-locked West African country with a high burden of SCD. Traditional wide-scale diagnostic methods using isoelectric focusing (IEF) or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) have been limited in Mali due to lack of laboratory equipment and trained personnel, unreliable supply chain, and expenses. Therefore, point-of-care testing is an important strategy to implement systematic newborn screening for SCD. The study offered screening with the Hemotype SC™ POC test kit, which only requires capillary blood samples and unfiltered tap water, no other reagents. From the 4774 infants screened during the study period, 95 infants (2.04%) were found to have SCD and were referred to the SCD outpatient treatment program. This interview took place at the virtual European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress 2021.
