Lagos: The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has recorded another successful bone marrow transplant circle since the first set was done in September 2024.
Dr Adeseye Akinsete, a Paediatric Haematologist at LUTH, disclosed this in Lagos on Thursday, saying that another set of patients was being prepared for a third cycle in August.
Akinsete was speaking on the sidelines of World Sickle Cell Day, celebrated annually on June 19, to increase public knowledge and understanding of sickle cell disease and the challenges experienced by patients, their families, and their caregivers.
The theme for World Sickle Cell Day 2025 is “Global Action, Local Impact: Empowering Communities for Effective Self-Advocacy.”
The theme underlines the need to amplify the voices of those affected by sickle cell anaemia directly or indirectly, viz, patients and their family members.
According to Akinsete, LUTH completed its first bone marrow transplant in August 2024, offering new hope to sickle cell disease (SCD) patients through curative therapies.
“The procedure performed on the first set of patients represents a breakthrough in the country’s medical landscape and underscores the growing capacity of local healthcare facilities to provide advanced treatments for complex conditions like SCD.
“This achievement marked a turning point for Nigeria, a country with the highest burden of sickle cell disease in the world, where an estimated 150,000 children are born with the condition each year.”
The paediatric Haematologist, a team lead at LUTH, said all transplanted patients were alive, well, and with functioning stem cell grafts.
He disclosed that the process had also been improved significantly.
“The process has been improved significantly, and it is more efficient. Nigerians are gradually becoming more aware of the programme in Lagos, and the last set included a patient from outside Lagos,” he said.
He added that the hospital also ran a dedicated post-transplant clinic for those who undergo transplants outside the country.
