During the highschool fairs, we organized one minute of silence dedicated to a student who suffered from Sickle-cell disease and died recently. A fund started among the classmates to help the family to provide the treatment. After the death of our classmate, some of the students get closed to health Club to learn more about the disease. As we already had informations about the Sickle-cell disease thanks to IECD team, we were able answer the questions.”
Health Club’s President and Vice-President of Lycée d’Ekounou
ON THE OCCASION OF THE WORLD SICKLE-CELL DISEASE DAY, IECD RELEASE A NEW FILM OF DISEASE’ SENZITISATION
Affiah leaves in the working-class neighbourhood of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo). She is suffering of sickle-cell-disease, genetic disease which touches 2% of children. Every trimester, after school, she goes to the Dr Kitenge in the hospital center of Monkole, about one hour and a half away. Affiah’story is the story of several million children which more than a half will not reach the age of 5!
Sickle-cell-disease is the first genetic disease in the world. It affects the blood and manifests with extremely painful crisis, an anaemia and an increased risk of infections. Due to a big lack of political awareness, the majority of diseased has not received an adequate care. People with sickle-cell-disease are also affected by stigmatization and social exclusion because of a lack of information of the population about the disease. However, an early diagnosis and treatment can reduce by 40% the mortality rate and significantly improve the living conditions of the patients.
Since 2006, IECD offers support to African countries in the fight against Sickle-cell disease, because it is particularly high in those countries and badly supported. This documentary, realized with the support from the Agence Française de Développement, the Pierre Fabre Fundation and the International Cooperation of Prince of Monaco’s government, aim at disseminating the disease, urge mothers to early screening of their children and fight discrimination. The film is available in two versions: one long version (13:38, above) intended for a general public and another short version (04:20, below) alerting public authorities on the importance to start national policies up to the task.
We are also counting on you to become ambassador for the fight against Sickle-cell disease, through a large diffusion of those films.
My three children suffer of Sickle-cell disease. My second child was always sick. We suspected a Sickle-cell disease because during crises he was screaming, writhing with pain and was very pale. He died suddenly at 20 months at the hospital before he could be transfused. At birth of our third child, we did the test but the result was not clear. So we thought about witchcraft problem. What if someone put a curse on us? And the Sickle-cell disease was confirmed. It has been two months since our last child takes his medicine every day, he didn’t get sick, except one time he had cough.”
Testimony of a father
During Educative meeting in Centre d’Animation Sociale et Sanitaire (CASS) of Nkolndongo (Yaoundé, Cameroon). Sept. 2016
