Health: Annual vaccination call for young sickle cell patients – Gulf Digital News

Health: Annual vaccination call for young sickle cell patients – Gulf Digital News

A LEADING sickle cell disease (SCD) campaigner, concerned about a growing number of recent deaths of sufferers, has called for all children diagnosed with the condition to be offered an annual vaccination which may prevent fatal complications later in life.

Bahrain Sickle Cell Anaemia Patient Care Society chairman Zakariya Al Kadhem claimed that at least 60 per cent of the SCD deaths in Bahrain were due to acute chest syndrome (ACS), which he believes could be better controlled if they had already received the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

“Incidentally, ACS is a contributing cause of more than half the deaths of sickle cell patients in Bahrain each year,” he explained.

“One of the important preventive measures is an ACS vaccination for SCD children, which we don’t currently administer. Without it, the challenge later in life can be immense.

“Additionally, during the summer, dehydration contributes to complications. Intense heat and not drinking enough water can prove to be a fatal combination.”

ACS is caused by infections and a blockage of blood flow to the chest and lungs. It is a complication many sickle cell patients face that can result in damage to the lungs, breathing difficulties, low oxygen to the rest of the body and possibly death.

According