Why in News?
India co-hosted the launch of OneSCD, a Global Partnership to Advance Equity and Transform Sickle Cell Care, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) in New York. At the event, Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Punya Salila Srivastava, highlighted India’s comprehensive response to Sickle Cell Disease through the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, launched in 2023 with the goal of eliminating Sickle Cell Disease as a public health problem by 2047. India also reaffirmed its commitment to an equitable, coordinated and sustainable global response to SCD, with emphasis on timely diagnosis and quality healthcare.
About Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder that affects haemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen. It is caused by a mutation in the HBB gene, which provides instructions for producing haemoglobin. The mutation results in the production of abnormal haemoglobin known as haemoglobin S.
When a person inherits two copies of the haemoglobin S gene, one from each parent, they develop Sickle Cell Disease. The red blood cells become rigid and sickle-shaped, which can block blood flow and cause severe pain, anaemia and organ damage. SCD occurs in different forms, with sickle-cell anaemia being the most severe form.
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