Concerted global effort to combat sickle cell disease: the first global congress on sickle cell disease in Accra, Ghana.

The First Global Congress on Sickle Cell Disease was held in Accra, Ghana, on July 20-23, 2010, to commemorate 100 years since the first published report of sickle cell disease (SCD). The idea of the Global Congress was conceived following the 2007 meeting in Nicosia, Cyprus, jointly organized by the WHO and the Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF), which recommended that groups working in SCD around the world needed to consolidate efforts into a stronger and more unified umbrella organization. The need for a united global effort received further endorsements at the 2009 International Symposium and Workshop held in Cotonou, Benin, and the 2009 inaugural commemoration of World Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Day, UN Headquarters, New York, New York. The overall goals of the Global Congress were to promote international cooperation and foster collaboration in advancing clinical care and furthering basic and applied research in SCD. Issues covered at the conference included health education, psychosocial needs, public health, medical care, research, program development, and development of international community-based organizations. The Congress participants included medical and research scientists, public health officials, community-based SCD organizations, other nongovernmental organizations, and people with SCD and their families. The Congress concluded with a call on patients and families affected by SCD, as well as advocacy groups, healthcare professionals, scientists, and national governments working to combat SCD to endorse the formation of the World Sickle Cell Disease Federation.