Tanzania has built its first bone marrow transplant center in Dodoma, the country’s capital.
According to the director of Benjamin Mkapa Hospital, it is a watershed moment for the country’s health system, and the unit will focus on treating sickle cell sufferers.
Only Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, and Tunisia have similar treatment programs for bone marrow transplants in Africa.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited condition, with the majority of cases occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa.
It is caused by a defective gene that influences the development of red blood cells, and it can cause extreme pain and organ failure.
A bone marrow transplant replaces unhealthy cells with healthy cells. It is also used to treat leukemia and blood cancer patients.
According to Tanzania’s health ministry, the East African country has the fourth highest rate of sickle cell disease in the world, with approximately 11,000 infants born with the disease each year.
