A pioneer in sickle-cell research has embarked on a prevention programme in Manchester.

Professor Graham Serjeant and his team at the Sickle Cell Trust, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, have been offering a series of free screening and blood tests.

They believe that through this effort, people can be made aware of their status early.

Fifth- and sixth-form students from 15 high schools in Manchester have taken part in the project, which started earlier this year.

According to Serjeant, if young people were empowered with the knowledge that they carried abnormal genes, they could select partners with normal genes and avoid having a child with sickle-cell disease.

"This disease is genetic and lifelong," he told The Gleaner. "It results from the inheritance of abnormal genes from both parents and most people only know that they carry these genes when they have an affected child, although it can also be detected by a simple blood test."

All students receive laminated cards detailing their results and the 15 per cent carrying abnormal genes are counselled and given additional information. The programme is slated to continue for the next five years.

To increase awareness about the disease, newborn screening has been set up at Mandeville Regional Hospital and will later be extended to other health facilities in the parish.

This will allow the early detection of babies with sickle-cell disease, which Serjeant explained has already proven to improve their outcome.

He said it would also determine whether the intervention of free screening and counselling reduce the frequency of births with the disease.

For more information call:

Sickle Cell Trust (Jamaica) at970-0077, 927-2300.