What we plan
Research
Research is an important part of what we do. At present, we are collecting and analyzing data on sickle cell disease in Sierra Leone.
We would like to find out the following:
- How many people with sickle cell disease are born in Sierra Leone every year. Getting this information will enable us to plan the services that sickle cell patients require. We estimate that, at present, about 5000 sickle cell disease patients are born every year. We do not know the complexities of how many of these babies survive beyond childhood, and for those who do not, what are the factors that impact their failure to survive.
- What is the effect of malaria on sickle cell disease patients. At present, the understanding is that sickle cell patients suffer more from malaria than people with sickle cell trait and those with normal hemoglobin. However, some recent research suggests that the sickle cell disease patient may enjoy some advantage over those without when it comes to malaria. We would like to find out which is the truth in this debate, is sickle cell disease better for malaria protection or not?
- 2010-2011: Expand programmes to Northern Province
