A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of a Pilot Neonatal Screening Program for Sickle Cell Anemia in the Republic of Angola.

Objective: To assess the cost-effectiveness of a pilot newborn screening (NBS) and treatment program for sickle cell anemia (SCA) in Luanda, Angola.

Study Design: In July 2011, a pilot NBS and treatment program was implemented in Luanda, Angola. Infants identified with SCA were enrolled in a specialized SCA clinic in which they received preventive care and sickle cell education.

An accurate and inexpensive color-based assay for detecting severe anemia in a limited-resource setting.

Severe anemia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among children in resource-poor settings, but laboratory diagnostics are often limited in these locations. To address this need, we developed a simple, inexpensive, and color-based point-of-care (POC) assay to detect severe anemia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of this novel POC assay to detect moderate and severe anemia in a limited-resource setting.

A prospective newborn screening and treatment program for sickle cell anemia in Luanda, Angola.

Over 300,000 infants are born annually with sickle cell anemia (SCA) in sub-Saharan Africa, and >50% die young from infection or anemia, usually without diagnosis of SCA. Early identification by newborn screening (NBS), followed by simple interventions dramatically reduced the mortality of SCA in the United States, but this strategy is not yet established in Africa. We designed and implemented a proof-of-principle NBS and treatment program for SCA in Angola, with focus on capacity building and local ownership.