About Sickle Forward
At Sickle Forward, we understand the critical importance of bringing rapid screening for Sickle Cell Disease to resource-limited settings around the world! A child diagnosed through these screening efforts can be started on low cost and highly effective treatments that have the ability to drastically improve their survival.
Early Diagnosis is the Key to Saving Lives!
Sickle Forward believes that access to an early diagnosis of sickle cell disease is the first step in combating the staggering levels of early childhood mortality that have defined the disease across Africa for far too long. Our work began in 2011 with newborn screening at a single rural hospital, built on the belief that life-saving diagnosis should be available even in communities far from major medical centers. Since then, that early effort has grown into broad regional partnerships across eight countries in Africa, working alongside experienced in-country leaders, health systems, and community-based teams.
At the center of our philosophy is a simple but powerful idea: screening only saves lives when it leads to care. By identifying infants and young children early, Sickle Forward helps connect families to critical interventions such as malaria prevention, antibiotic prophylaxis, hydroxyurea, education, and ongoing clinical follow-up. Our goal is to support practical, scalable systems that bring diagnosis and treatment closer to where children are born and live.
Sickle Cell Disease in Africa
Sickle cell disease is the most common inherited disorder of the red blood cell, with over 5 million affected individuals across continental Africa. Due to the selective pressure of the malaria parasite, the majority of individuals with SCD live in equatorial areas where malaria is endemic such as Africa, South America, and India.
The disease is caused by an abnormality in the hemoglobin protein that triggers the red blood cells to change into a moon (sickle) shape when they are stressed by lack of oxygen, temperature changes, infection, and other factors. This shape change leads to blockage of the flow of blood and oxygen to various parts of the body and results in both acute and chronic complications. While bone pain is often thought to be the hallmark of the disease, the damaging complications can occur in every organ and every part of the body. Untreated, the disease leads to recurrent complications and early death. It is expected that 50-80% of untreated children in Africa will die before their 5th birthday. The first step in treating the disease is diagnosing the affected newborn. After diagnosis, there are low-cost and highly effective treatments that can be started in order to save lives!
