Uganda is stepping up the fight against sickle cell disease with nationwide newborn screening, as health authorities warn that thousands of children continue to be born with the inherited blood disorder every year.
The Ministry of Health estimates that between 20,000 and 25,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease in Uganda annually, while the sickle cell trait is estimated at between 13% and 15%, with some of the highest prevalence recorded in northern and eastern Uganda.
The scale of the challenge has pushed the government to make early diagnosis a national priority. In February 2026, the Ministry of Health launched a nationwide mandatory newborn screening programme, requiring babies born in health facilities to be tested so that those with the condition can be linked to care before symptoms and complications develop.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Diana Atwine, said early detection could prevent thousands of avoidable deaths.
“Sickle cell disease is manageable when detected early,” Atwine said, warning that failure to identify the condition at birth could result in children developing preventable complications.
The initiative builds on Uganda’s previous screening efforts. Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng said in May that about 500,000 newborns had been screened over the previous decade through partnerships involving the Consortium on Newborn Screening in Africa and Uganda’s laboratory network.
However, the government acknowledges that a significant screening gap remains.
Prof Charles Olaro, Director General of Health Services, said many children are still diagnosed only after developing painful crises.
“They first come to our attention during a painful crisis, often when complications have already taken root,” Olaro said.
Beyond diagnosis, access to sustained treatment remains critical. The Ministry of Health says hydroxyurea, a medicine used to reduce complications associated with sickle cell disease, has been included on Uganda’s Essential Medicines List. Government is also finalising a costed national strategic plan aimed at strengthening screening, treatment and patient follow-up.
The ministry has also been working to standardise care. In 2025, it revised national sickle cell guidelines and incorporated the disease into newborn and non-communicable disease registers to improve identification and follow-up.
State Minister for Primary Health Care, Dr Charles Ayume, said government had begun revising the Public Health Act to formally recognise sickle cell disease within the public health framework and establish a dedicated national budget line.
For Uganda, the challenge is increasingly shifting from simply treating sickle cell crises to finding children early, keeping them in care and preventing avoidable deaths.
