Mumbai: Sickle cell disease spreads amid lack of funds, awareness

AROUND 125 km from Mumbai, a family among the Warli tribals of Valwanda village suffers sickle cell disease through heredity. While they battle constant body ache and fatigue because of the ailment, the Bhaskars do not know the name of the disease or understand much about it. Pramila Bhaskar (22) only knows it is rakht (blood) related. She has been suffering from it since birth, but came to know of it in 2010. Her sister and mother suffer from sickle cell too, and so does her seven-year-old daughter. Bhaskar?s six-month-old son is yet to be tested.

As the local public health centre (PHC) seldom stocks folic acid tablets needed to treat sickle cell, she travels an hour to another PHC for her monthly stock. With poor government intervention, Bhaskar?s story is identical to that of several other tribals who suffer from the disease in isolated pockets and await proper treatment.
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