A major new international study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, one of the world’s leading medical journals, has revealed that Nigeria carries the highest burden of sickle cell disease (SCD) globally, with an estimated over 1.5 million children under the age of 15 living with the condition.
The study shows that nearly nine million children across sub-Saharan Africa are living with sickle cell disease in 2023, including around 1.17 million infants and 2.75 million children under five, who face the highest risk of early death without treatment.
Nigeria accounts for the largest share of this burden, far exceeding other high-burden countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia.
The findings highlight both the scale of the challenge in Nigeria and the opportunity for the country to lead Africa in tackling one of the most preventable causes of childhood illness and death.
The study was led by Professor Davies Adeloye, Professor of Public Health at Teesside University, United Kingdom, and Director of the International Society of Global Health (ISoGH), and analysed data from 40 studies across 22 African countries to produce the most comprehensive country-level estimates of childhood sickle cell disease to date.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder present at birth. With early diagnosis and access to simple, low-cost interventions such as newborn screening, penicillin prophylaxis, routine vaccinations, malaria prevention, and hydroxyurea, most complications and deaths can be prevented.
However, in Nigeria, access to these essential services remains limited. Many children are only diagnosed after severe and avoidable complications, while others are never diagnosed at all, contributing to high levels of preventable illness and early childhood deaths.
Professor Adeloye said,
“Nigeria now stands at the centre of the global sickle cell crisis. With over 1.5 million children affected, the scale is enormous, but so is the opportunity to act. We already know what works. Newborn screening and early treatment are effective, affordable, and can be delivered through existing health systems.
If Nigeria prioritises sickle cell disease within its national health agenda and integrates care into routine maternal and child health services, we could save hundreds of thousands of young lives and significantly reduce avoidable deaths.”
The researchers emphasise that strengthening Nigeria’s health system response will be critical. This includes expanding newborn screening programmes, improving access to essential medicines, and integrating sickle cell care into primary healthcare services.
The study calls for urgent and coordinated action across government, health institutions, and development partners, including expanding newborn screening programmes, improving access to essential medicines and vaccines, and embedding sickle cell care within primary healthcare services. It also calls for increased domestic investment, supported by international partnerships, as well as stronger data systems to improve surveillance and guide policy decisions.
The authors conclude that even modest improvements in early-life screening and treatment in high-burden countries like Nigeria could transform child survival and significantly reduce preventable deaths.
The full study is published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.
