Knight-Madden Jennifer, Lee Ketty, Elana Gisèle, Elenga Narcisse, Marcheco-Teruel Beatriz, Keshi Ngozi, Etienne-Julan Maryse, King Lesley, Asnani Monika, Romana Marc, Hardy-Dessources Marie-Dominique
Caribbean Institute for Health Research-Sickle Cell Unit, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica.
Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Academic Hospital of Guadeloupe, 97159 Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe.
Int J Neonatal Screen. 2019 Jan 8;5(1):5. doi: 10.3390/ijns5010005. eCollection 2019 Mar.
The region surrounding the Caribbean Sea is predominantly composed of island nations for its Eastern part and the American continental coast on its Western part. A large proportion of the population, particularly in the Caribbean islands, traces its ancestry to Africa as a consequence of the Atlantic slave trade during the XVI-XVIII centuries. As a result, sickle cell disease has been largely introduced in the region. Some Caribbean countries and/or territories, such as Jamaica and the French territories, initiated newborn screening (NBS) programs for sickle cell disease more than 20 years ago. They have demonstrated the major beneficial impact on mortality and morbidity resulting from early childhood care. However, similar programs have not been implemented in much of the region. This paper presents an update of the existing NBS programs and the prevalence of sickle cell disease in the Caribbean. It demonstrates the impact of the Caribbean Network of Researchers on Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia (CAREST) on the extension of these programs. The presented data illustrate the importance of advocacy in convincing policy makers of the feasibility and benefit of NBS for sickle cell disease when coupled to early care.
加勒比海周边地区东部主要由岛国组成，西部则是美洲大陆海岸。由于16至18世纪的大西洋奴隶贸易，该地区很大一部分人口，尤其是加勒比群岛的人口，其祖先可追溯至非洲。因此，镰状细胞病在该地区大量出现。一些加勒比国家和/或地区，如牙买加和法属地区，20多年前就启动了针对镰状细胞病的新生儿筛查（NBS）项目。这些项目已证明对儿童早期护理带来的死亡率和发病率具有重大有益影响。然而，该地区大部分地方尚未实施类似项目。本文介绍了加勒比地区现有新生儿筛查项目的最新情况以及镰状细胞病的患病率。它展示了加勒比镰状细胞病和地中海贫血研究人员网络（CAREST）对扩大这些项目的影响。所呈现的数据说明了宣传在说服政策制定者相信新生儿筛查结合早期护理对镰状细胞病的可行性和益处方面的重要性。
