TANZANIAN DOCTOR TO SPEAK AT THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON SICKLE CELL!!

The First Lady Mama Salma Kikwete

On December 22, 2008, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution sickle cell disease as a world public health problem. The resolution proposed that June 19 of each year be designated "Sickle Cell Day" to increase awareness of this problem at national and international levels. The permanent mission of the Congo to the United Nations in New York and the Sickle Cell Disease International Organisation (SCDIO) have been missionned by the 24 Member States who initiated the resolution to organize the first "Sickle Cell Awareness Day" at the United Nations in New York on June 19th, 2009, in partnership with WHO, UNICEF, UNAIDS and the World Bank. Dr Julie Makani is a lecturer at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), which is the main clinical, academic and research centre in Tanzania. Her two related areas of specialism are malaria and Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), a blood disorder. SCD confers protection against the malaria infection. Haematology (the study of blood) and blood transfusion are her major areas of study. She is a member of Multilateral initiative on Malaria (MIM) Secretariat Advisory Committee and of the Royal College of Physicians of United Kingdom, and holds an appointment as Clinical Research Fellow at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford. Dr Julie Makani will be one of the two main speakers on sub-topic: "The Perspective of sickle cell disease in relation to other public health priorities such as malaria, HIV/Aids and malnutrition" First Lady of Tanzania, a member of the First Ladies group who support SCDIO action, will be one of the attendees.